ALBUM REVIEW: Spiritual Instinct – Alcest

Few bands have been able to carve their own niche within multiple genres quite like ALCEST. Retaining firm black metal qualities yet never fully succumbing to the tropes of the genre, the french duo have been able to not only prove that there is a nuance to the dark themes and horrors of black metal, but have also opened the door for bands like DEAFHEAVEN, UNDERDARK, and GHOST BATH in the meantime. With such a varied and emotive back catalogue, their previous two outings, Kodama and Shelter, were both further steps towards a true departure from their blackened roots, but that doesn’t seem to be the case on Spiritual Instinct. 

On their seventh record, ALCEST proudly own and display everything that makes them such a uniquely brilliant act. Mastermind and frontman Neige explains how this album is far more in touch with his own darker side, and it reflects through in ways both gentle, and unapologetic. Le Jardin De Minuit doesn’t so much ease the listener in as it does drop them into the pool. Tremolo riffs descend and tempo changes are frequent within the opening song. This is a side to ALCEST that hasn’t reared its head in a while, and even here, the layered vocals and transcendental chords still make the music an uplifting experience. Protection continues the offering with a more mid tempo affair but still retains the riff led writing Spiritual Instinct has decided to make its calling card. 

This isn’t to say that the classic ALCEST sounds are gone. Sapphire harkens back to their seminal L’ecailles De Lune record, and features Neige heavily leaning on his harmonic singing. The song features no lyrics, instead just Neige singing in his own language. The fact the song hits such emotional high points, similar to songs like Deliverance, remains a true testament to just how good ALCEST are at writing honest and soul baring music that is easily relatable, despite finding its home deep within genres typically associated with hatred, anger, and all the other murky shades of awful. This dichotomy plays into the general theme of the album, as Spiritual Instinct seeks, and succeeds in many ways, to show the inherent duality of everything. Where light and dark meet to dance a captivating waltz. 

There is an effortless quality to Spiritual Instinct and it is amplified when you hear Neige talk about the recording process. ALCEST spent a long time recording the record on analogue tape, which certainly goes a long way to making the record feel as warm and welcoming as it does despite its bitterly cold influences. The lengthy process this recording style entails has also heavily influenced every composition, as each song sits unique on the track listing, whilst still never straying too far away to break the immersion. As well, the concept of catharsis was a big driving factor for Neige when writing, and the flow of each song, as it peaks and troughs, certainly offers the feeling of a raw outpouring of emotion. Nothing is shied away from, and the sheer diversity of sound that still retains the classic ALCEST sound is this album’s roaring success, with even a little bit of industrial rearing its head in the pulsing backing of Lile De Mort. The very fact that seven albums in ALCEST are still pushing their musical envelope speaks in droves to the musical talent of both members. 

There is little to complain about, if anything at all, with Spiritual Instinct. A leaping step forward from Kodama, and like it’s predecessor, this record never forgoes anything that makes ALCEST the incredible act that they are. The diversity of sound, the sheer quality of songwriting, and the emotional honesty that oozes from every note and lyric is tangible. Seven albums in, and Spiritual Instinct holds up against the true pathfinding work of early ALCEST, proving how much the band have grown whilst rooting deeper into what makes them, them. Spiritual Instinct is an effortless journey through some of the best music this year has produced, and it’s one every alternative music fan should take. 

Rating: 9/10

Spiritual Instinct is set for release on October 25th via Nuclear Blast Records.

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