Lantlôs - _Agape_
(Prophecy Productions, 2011)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8.5 out of 10)
I was well impressed by Lantlôs' debut _Neon_ about a year and a half
ago. Its musical approach, coupled with the presence of Neige from the
rather fashionable Amesoeurs and Alcest, made it almost inevitable
that the album would be lumped together with the surging post-rock and
shoegaze drenched branches of black metal. Bearing that in mind,
_Agape_ starts on a rather more aggressive and dissonant note than one
might have expected, perhaps as a way to distance their work from such
easy pigeonholing right from the start. Having said that, this is not
a paradigm shift for Lantlôs -- before ten minute opener "Intrauterin"
ends, we're being treated to the kind of atmospheric break one might
expect in this subgenre, but in this case it ends with a satisfyingly
harsh impact and some excellent vocals from beyond some distant veil
of despair._Agape_ does not pretend to be an overly complicated post-black or
incredibly dramatic 'suicidal' black metal album. Lantlôs discerningly
pick and choose from both subgenres and add much of their own,
seamlessly alternating mood and pace -- the succession of fast / slow
/ atmospheric sections never seems cobbled together, and the
songwriting generally stays solid. "You Feel Like Memories" does
stretch it a little bit, but despite the occasional shortcoming, I
have seldom found an album that manages to simultaneously remain a
good listen while exploring elements from two easily exhausting
subgenres.At just about 35 minutes, _Agape_ does not offer a lot to sink your
teeth into; but what it tries to do in that time, it usually
accomplishes very well. Despite its brevity, _Agape_ stands out as one
of the best releases of its kind in 2010 -- though not necessarily the
pinnacle of what Lantlôs might eventually achieve. If this project
stays together, then Lantlôs will certainly remain a band to watch in
the future.
(article published 4/3/2012)
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