Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genres: Ambient, Metal, Rock, Shoegaze
Label: Independent

A CD that was unexpected in my mailbox, Auternus was not unwelcome. Their soundscapes are very much reminding me of a cross between A Perfect Circle, whom they cite as an influence, and My Bloody Valentine, with some Isis for flavor.
According to their promo package, they’re playing a lot of shows, getting distributed, and just all-around trying to get their music out there. These guys are working their asses off, and I’m sure that if I didn’t review this CD, you’d still hear about them in time.
If you’re into ambient that’s not boring, or metal-edged rock that makes you think a little, check out Auternus.
7 out of 10.

Auternus on MySpace.

Genre: Post Rock, Shoegaze
Label: Conspiracy Records

I started listening to Ausserwelt not knowing what it was, or who Year of No Light are. I was immediately impressed with the cohesiveness of the music, how they seemed to be taking elements from several different musical directions, and putting them all together.
I think this falls under the Post Rock category of music, sounding like Wintersleep and My Bloody Valentine, with some drone doom elements and even some atmospheric black metal elements. Shoegaze also fits the description too.
I would love to see this band live, to bring this kind of big sounding music onto a stage. And it really is big. The drums aren’t LOUD, they sound HUGE. Like a five foot tall man playing drums built for a  twenty foot tall man and succeeding. The guitars are ungodly massive, a set of stacks reaching to the sky. Yeah, I’m full of metaphors today. But that’s how this music is.
And the song lengths themselves are epic. The shortest song is the second one, “Perséphone (Coré)”, sitting at 9:37, and it’s really just an extension to the first track “Perséphone (Enna)”, which is 11:56 long. The other two, “Hiérophante” and “Abbesse” are both clocking in at 13 minutes and change.
This came out late April, so it’s available now. I’d look in to getting a copy if you’re into post rock, shoegaze, doom, or just instrumental music. It’s awesome.
8 out of 10.

Year of No Light on MySpace.

Genres: Goth, Metal, Post Rock, Shoegaze
Label: Prophecy Productions

Here’s another French band I knew nothing about until now, and I’m enjoying it.
From what I can tell, Les Discrets is one man, Fursy Teyssier, who not only makes music, but is a painter and filmmaker, and he’s combined all of his passions into one, and (in English) called it The Final Thoughts of September.
It’s an odd listen though, because it’s a major amalgamation of various genres that works nicely. Touches of shoegaze, post rock, little bits of goth, and classic metal are being thrown together to create this, and just on that mix alone it’s a compelling listen. But the star of this show is, in the end, Teyssier’s voice, and man does he have some pipes.
I can’t even compare his style to anyone, he sounds so different from everyone else I know, and I have no real point of reference within the French art scene he’s in, other than Alcest, and there is no real comparison there as far as similarities go.
I can tell you, however, that Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées is a fucking cool album, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes any of the above mentioned genres, and I think fans of more atmospheric or experiemental black metal might find stuff here they’ll like.
7.5 out of 10.

Genres: Black Metal, Shoegaze
Label: Prophecy Productions

This is one fucking gorgeous sounding album of French blackened shoegaze. It definitely reminds me of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless with a definitely more heavy approach.
Lyrics are beautifully done in French, sometimes screamed and sometimes sung, and the songs themselves are fairly lengthy and full of melancholic emotion. From what I’ve been able to read, Neige wrote the concept to be about someone who leaves this world to go to another, “…Like a passage to another reality, another state of existence….”
It’s an easy review folks. It’s a killer album that’s full of complexities that bend the mind.
8 out of 10.

Alcest on MySpace.