ALCEST · Shelter | DIGIPAK CD

Digipak CD.

Background information about 'Shelter'

French post-black metal pioneers Alcest delivered something completely unexpected with "Shelter", marking a bold departure from their trademark atmospheric black metal sound. This 2014 release sees mastermind Neige steering the project into uncharted waters, embracing a more accessible shoegaze and dream pop approach that shocked longtime fans while attracting entirely new audiences. The album's eight tracks flow like a gentle stream, with lush guitar textures and ethereal melodies replacing the harsh tremolo picking and blast beats of previous efforts.

What makes "Shelter" so compelling is its fearless commitment to beauty and vulnerability. Songs like "Opale" and "Voix Sereines" shimmer with crystalline guitar work and Neige's most emotionally direct vocals to date, sung entirely in French and English. The title track serves as the album's emotional centerpiece, building from whispered intimacy to soaring crescendos that feel both protective and liberating. While some purists initially balked at the stylistic shift, "Shelter" has aged beautifully, revealing itself as a necessary evolution that expanded Alcest's sonic palette without sacrificing their core identity.

For fans of: Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Rós, Deafheaven and Explosions in the Sky

Track listing

1. Wings
2. Opale
3. La Nuit Marche Avec Moi
4. Voix Sereines
5. L'Eveil Des Muses
6. Shelter
7. Away
8. Délivrance

Manufacturer: ProMedia GmbH, Im Gartenfeld 1, 54516 Flußbach, Germany, Contact: prophecy.de