Alcest

A dynamic French post-metal group founded and fronted by multi-instrumentalist Neige, Alcest has covered a wide swath of sonic territory, shifting from black metal to shoegaze to post-metal, and finally to the integrated sound known as blackgaze, which they helped to pioneer. Intense melody, lush, swirling electronic textures, and sometimes screamed-sometimes cleanly sung vocals are entwined in their mixes. Early recordings showcased a band playing lo-fi, raw, melodic black metal, but by the time Neige delivered the Le Secret EP in early 2005, he was the band's only member, and while the lo-fi remained, the black metal had receded in favor of lush, melodic shoegaze. 2007's Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde revealed a full-on, blissed-out shoegaze metal, while 2014's Shelter was easily their most accessible recording to date. Further efforts like 2024's Les Chants de l'Aurore looked in the rearview to integrate all the places Alcest had been previously.