rmany Lantlôs features France’s finest purveyor of post and black metal experimentalism; Neige, the man behind Alcest and a former member of the now defunct Amesoeurs.His rasping shriek is his contribution to this record with project head Herbst manning all instrumentation. Neige’s vocals and Herbst’s abilities all complement each to near flawless effect. Much like their brethren in Alcest, Lantlôs’ .Neon is black metal with a post rock execution and vibe focusing on the atmospherics of it all. There’s even an accentuation of those shoe-gaze influences on .Neon which has permeated so much into Neige’s body of work in the past. The multitude of styles implemented means that black metal merely becomes the blueprint and eventual foundation for which the rest of the album is built upon.
'Coma' lays testament to this veritable diversity, bursting through the speakers with a heavy accessible pace but in an almost post hardcore-like riff, all topped by deafeningly cut-throat vocals. But it’s the opener, 'Minusmensch' that sets the magnificent tone, as any album opener should. Then after leading into the towering and scaling aura of 'These Nights Were Ours', it becomes clear that .Neon is a waveringly cathartic record indeed.
It’s also a record that fully utilises the common art of the blastbeat. While in many extreme metal bands it can become tiring and clichéd, on .Neon it’s used ever tastefully and necessarily. Its lithe melding with softer edged influences like indie is seen on the cavorting melodies of 'Neige De Mars'. That said, .Neon is at all times harrowing and dauntingly dark as well as lushly beautiful, perpetuated by the clean vocals wrapped in a bluesy vibe found on 'Pulse / Surreal'. Similarly on the instrumental title track which just oozes despondency and is emblematic of .Neon as a strikingly emotive and superbly arranged record.
8/10
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