Gris - À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée... (2013)

It would simply be an understatement to say any less than Gris' '07 debut, 'Il était une forêt...,' is an unrivaled masterpiece. Receiving a promo copy within the last few days of December of '07, I never expected the disc inside the simple cardboard sleeve could hold such immense and memorable music, but I did. Yes, that was surely one for the ages, in fact, it was one that elevated the almost entirely worthless depressive black metal sub-genre to heights of excellence and artistic mastery. But, how would the band fair after all these years? Could they make an album as equally powerful and emotional as, 'Il était une forêt...?'

'L'aube' kicks off the album off gently with soaring violins and acoustic guitars that gradually build towards an epic climax, which seems quite simply unreal for metal musicians to pull off. No, it sounds more like something you'd hear in a video game or film score, which to me is simply marvelous. 'Les Forges' follows and from the get go those familiar Gris screams greet the listener, but the music itself is different from the debut. Opting for a cleaner production, this song and the many that follow make greater usage of the cello and violin, which was previously only heard on one Gris song. Similarly, there's also an increase of acoustics throughout the album, but what truly remains is that same sense of melancholic beauty that only Gris is capable of. In this particular song they pour it on hard, too, and similarly to the first song this one builds in a majestic manner that simply reaches a point of being overwhelmingly bleak. There's also a few shorter neo classical instrumentals that serve as introductions to the longer songs, but they are by no means fillers, as each one is impressive.

'À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...' is spread out between two discs and runs for just about eighty minutes of music, which makes it not an easily acceptable record from the get go, even more so if you were expecting a part two of the debut. Another thing that makes the album challenging is its variant speeds, as it moves from a mid pace to slower dirges, some speedy blasting parts like those seen in 'Igneus,' and of course the calm acoustic and neo classical sections really have the musics speed all over the place. Another characteristic is that the album has fewer vocals, although these instrumental parts seem to instantly recall memories, both good and bad, every time I hear them. It all sounds a bit weird, perhaps, but it works, and it works fairly well.

Throughout the album Gris takes the listener on an emotional and sometimes painful, but always gorgeous and delicate journey. I personally found myself having to listen to the album a few times, because there's so much packed into this album that its easily possibly to miss something. However, once you give it that 3rd or fourth listen it really starts to reveal itself a lot more and every last note really starts to sink in and effect you, too. Its painfully beautiful, memorable and emotional and easily one of the better records this year. I'll admit it does have some spots that could probably have been trimmed down a little, but when you approach the album as a whole it all unfolds and flows well enough for me.

Additionally, I wouldn't hesitate to say that Gris has triumphed once again, whether or not its better than the debut is entirely up to you. What I do know is that I enjoy this album tremendously. And that is all.