Lantlôs is a German post black metal project with Herbst as main composer and musical visionary. This time around he’s joined by Neige (Alcest, Amesoeurs) on vocals. Their latest is called .Neon. Let’s have a closer look.
Anyone who’s familiar with Alcest can certainly relate to Lantlôs, since both bands/projects are very much on the same musical level. Both bands combine black metal with post core elements, thus creating a stirring hybrid of haunting atmospheric bleakness. Alcest has more shoegaze elements, while Lantlôs has a greater emphasis on creating a cold and desolate atmosphere.
On .Neon black metal is vehemently present in the form of lots of blastbeats, Neige’s impressive shrieks and screams and the overall cold, almost Winter like atmosphere. The occasional post core elements give compositions like Minusmensch, These Rights Were Ours, Neige De Mars and Coma quite an epic and experimental feel. The interaction between the heavier, more metal parts and the lighter, almost jazzy soundscape parts, gives .Neon a progressive edge.
Pulse/Surreal is quite a remarkable track in its own right. It features a jazzy, almost lounge part with calm soothing vocals by Neige. This track comes very close to his own work on Ecailles De Lune. The closing track is a combination of all the aforementioned elements and can be seen as a musical summary of the musical richness .Neon has to offer.
This album takes a couple of listens before you grasp the musical essence, but if you’re into experimental and atmospheric black metal, .Neon by Lantlôs is quite a treat.
written by Raymond Westland
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