On the wide and incredibly varied spectrum of black metal, Gris fall under the “exquisite, spacious and atmospheric” variety. They’re commonly labelled as a depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM) band, but on this album they display far more experimentation, especially given the expansive non black-metal sections, than many of their peers. The first track, ‘L’Aube’, is a breathtakingly beautiful piece, primarily comprised of gently plucked acoustic guitar, and ethereal chanting. Fans of Alcest will be in their element with music like this, although there is a darker undercurrent here, which becomes quickly apparent when the tortured screams burst through and shatter the tranquility.
There is no doubt that À l’Âme Enflammée, l’Äme Constellée… (Sepulchral Productions) is an incredibly ambitious album, and it is certainly captivating to begin with, however, sadly there is not enough variety to maintain interest over the daunting 80 minute runtime. The majority of the songs, when taken individually, are well composed, and well played, but there just aren’t enough standout moments to make the album engaging. The contemplative nature of the album is part of it’s appeal though. Taken in two halves (it is a double album), it is an enjoyable and relaxing listen, but consumed as a whole, it really begins to drag.
If this wasn’t a double album, it would be an easy recommendation. Gris play with a rich tapestry of sounds that fans of atmospheric, experimental or ambient black metal should adore. Unfortunately, the unnecessary length of the album makes it a lot harder to recommend. Devoted fans, and those with excess patience should enjoy this record a lot, and the rest of us can hope that future albums are as ambitious and beautiful, yet more concise, or simply more varied. For an album that showed such initial promise, it is incredibly disappointing that it fails to maintain that initial “wow” factor.
6/10
Tom Saunders