The longest track on Antimatter‘s Fear of a Unique Identity, “Firewalking” tops eight minutes and uses that time to offer some glimmer of hope from the head-down melancholia in which so much of the rest of the album revels. Fear is the British project’s sixth studio outing — there’s also been a best of and two live records — and continues their relationship with Prophecy Productions, a label which has become a haven for depression conveyed via musical gorgeousness, lush melody and introspective lyrics. In the case of Antimatter‘s latest, we get all of the above.

With a total nine tracks/49 minutes, it’s also an album that was bound to be a surprise — it’s Antimatter‘s first LP in five years since 2007′s Leaving Eden and the second since Duncan Patterson left the band. The multi-instrumentalist, also ex-Anathema, was formerly a defining presence in Antimatter alongside guitarist/vocalist Mick Moss, playing a central role in the ambient/electronica vibing of the band’s earliest albums, Saviour (2001) and Lights Out (2003). With 2005′s Planetary Confinement, Antimatter began to move toward a more organic, intimate style, and Patterson went on to release material with another band, Íon, that was in a roughly similar earthy vein before getting started with the darker project Alternative 4 (named for the last Anathema album on which he appeared), who made their full-length debut with 2011′s The Brink.

Moss, meanwhile, took the reins of Antimatter and has proven he’s capable of carrying the band in terms both of songwriting and performance. On Leaving Eden, he brought in Anathema‘s Danny Cavanaugh for the sessions and subsequent touring, also sitting in with Cavanaugh‘s Leafblade side-project. You’d need a chart to note every connection between these players, but one way or another, it mostly leads back to Anathema, except in Moss‘ case as he was never a member of the band. On Fear of a Unique Identity, however, Antimatter is perhaps the most separate from the Anathema lineage that they’ve ever been. Sure, the wisping ebow guitar leads in “Wide Awake in the Concrete Asylum” bear some sonic resemblance to Anathema‘s mid-period downer glories, but Moss is firmly in control of the band’s sound and quick to distinguish and make a mark of his own within these songs.

Primarily, he does this vocally, with a stunningly emotive and melodic delivery that’s adaptable to whatever happens to be going on musically at the time, but really, it’s the music itself on Fear of a Unique Identity that’s going to surprise first-time listeners or anyone who’s followed the band since they got going. It’s heavy. From the beginnings of opener “Paranova” to the Euro-doom stomp of “The Parade” and all the distorted tonality between, Antimatter in 2012 have more in common with Katatonia than with Anathema‘s newfound progressive joys. The additional vocals of Vic Anelsmo, periodic violin of David Hall and drumming of Colin Fromont give a full-band feel to Moss‘ singing, guitar, bass, piano and programming, and yet Antimatter retains an intimate, personal sensibility through their dynamic approach, here soft and contemplative, as on closer “A Place in the Sun,” and there unremittingly dark and threatening, as on centerpiece “Here Come the Men,” which marks Moss and Anselmo‘s best duet of the record.

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For Fursy Teyssier, the core of the band Les Discrets is the intertwining of visual and aural creation. They seem to be two different sides — in the arts, it’s a divide not often breached successfully — but Teyssier has managed to work as an animator and a painter with a severe and rich aesthetic while also giving that same feel a musical body in the form of Les Discrets‘ two albums to date, 2010′s Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées and early 2012′s Ariettes Oubliées…, both of which stand among the most cohesive outings within the burgeoning subset of post-black metal.

Separated from each other by a clear sense of growth and a more open feel in the music, Les Discrets‘ studio offerings are marked by the complex intertwining of acoustic and electric guitars as well as a near-constant undercurrent of melody that pervades the songs. This wash is constructed one layer at a time by Teyssier on guitar and bass, taking stylistic elements from doom, shoegaze post-rock and, of course, black metal. The genre distinctions aren’t a concern for Teyssier — joined in Les Discrets by vocalist/lyricist Audrey Hadorn and drummer Winterhalter (also of Alcest) — and when he says, “I don’t mind” in the interview below, what he really seemed to be saying in the context of the conversation was, “I don’t care.”

That came up a couple times, and some of that was due to the language barrier. My French is rudimentary at best (I had to look up whether it was “tous” or “toutes” for the headline above), and though Teyssier spoke better English than I do — as I’ve found to be the case with many Europeans who learn it as a second language — there were still some ideas that got lost along the way and some of the following Q&A that might read differently than it actually came out in conversation. For what it’s worth, Teyssier had already done a full two hours of interviews by the time we spoke, four half-hour phoners and I was the fifth, and he mentioned he’d gotten a cold at the end of his recent European run of shows as a live member of Alcest; the two bands are closely linked in style, personnel and lineage — Teyssier, Winterhalter and Alcest mastermind Stéphane “Neige” Paut all collaborated in the defunct outfit Amesoeurs, whose lone full-length was released in 2009.

Nonetheless, Teyssier was thoughtful, open and in apparent good spirits in talking about his visual style and how it relates to the music of Les Discrets, the balance of the two in his life and how — with so much of the band based on his graphic work for it — Hadorn came to direct the video for the title-track to Ariettes Oubliées…, which seems to center on the theme of loss in a manner more direct than Teyssier‘s art might. He discussed translating Les Discrets‘ many layers to a live setting and the interpretation of John Verlaine poetry that resulted in both the title and major thematic center of the record.

Complete interview is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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With a one-two punch of releases from the two bands, who share a country of origin, a stylistic pastiche, European tour dates, a graphic artist, a record label and a drummer, comparisons between Les Discrets and Alcest feel inevitable. Alcest released their third album, Les Voyages de l’Âme (review here) via Prophecy Productions at the very start of the year, and now, led by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Fursy Teyssier (who also handles the aforementioned visuals), Lyon’s Les Discrets answers back with Ariettes Oubliées…, their second album after 2010’s excellent Septembre et Ses Dernières Pensées. The eight-track, 43-minute collection is shorter than Alcest’s latest, and heavier in a traditionally metallic sense when it wants to be, but no less emotionally gripping or melodically complex. In terms of the actual sound of the album, aside from Winterhalter, who drums, what the two acts most share is the richly evocative melody and the emotionalism that’s become a mainstay element in post-black metal in large part thanks to both Les Discrets and Alcest’s contributions to the genre and Teyssier and Alcest mastermind Stéphane “Neige” Paut’s common roots in the band Amesoeurs (in which Winterhalter also drummed), who released a self-titled album in 2009 before splitting up. As closely linked as the two outfits are, there’s bound to be some sonic overlap, and Ariettes Oubliées… bears that out, as did the first album, but Les Discrets emerges from their sophomore effort with a personality and direction of their own as well.

Part of that is thanks to the contributions of vocalist/lyricist Audrey Hadorn, who complements Teyssier’s own singing for nearly the entire album, one or the other dropping out at various points – mostly, it seems, for dramatic effect. The distinguishing factor is convenient for discerning one band’s methods from the other’s, but more importantly, Hadorn greatly enriches the material on Ariettes Oubliées…, and her voice helps carry across the wistfulness and longing that seems to drip from the music. Time and mortality seem to be central themes, or at very least they’re easily read into the fragility present in the melodicism, but Les Discrets have a few moments of unabashed black metal, whether it’s the final moments of longest cut and highlight “La Traversée” or the more progressive approach that shows up in the surprisingly angular “La Nuit Muette.” Unsurprisingly for anyone who encountered the first album, Les Discrets take their time in letting the songs unfold, and work within an open sensibility as regards pace and instrumentation. Teyssier layers acoustic and electric guitar along with his bass, and the resulting complexity accounts for much of the richness in their sound. It’s not a wash of melody, but it’s not far off. Vocals remain crisp, clear and unburied, but like everything else on Ariettes Oubliées…, they are impeccably balanced, brilliantly mixed, and work in service to the songs and the atmosphere the material is looking to present. The gradual start the album is given with “Linceul d’Hiver” is met with a coinciding triumph in the instrumental “Les Regrets,” which not only echoes a musical theme, but shows the depth of Les Discrets’ commitment to structure – maintained no matter how far into indulgence they may seem to be wandering at any given moment.

Foremost, the album is beautiful, and – like Teyssier’s graphic work – masterfully intricate, carefully woven and precise in its execution. With layers of guitar playing off each other even in the most subdued moments of “La Traversée,” it’s clear maintaining a live sound isn’t the intent of the band, but it’s worth noting that nothing feels unnatural or overly processed on Ariettes Oubliées…, and instead, the melody that seems to be always at the fore is presented as organically assembled. Winterhalter has the delicate charge of grounding the material, and seems almost relieved to break into blast-beats at the end of “La Traversée,” but his work here is no less complex or engaging than either Teyssier or Hadorn’s. “Le Mouvement Perpétuel” continues the background ambience that pervades most of the tracks, but makes its greatest impact following a subtle but undeniably heavy build/apex and quiet part, where the guitars seem to stand tall on top of the rest of the song’s density at about 4:40 and anchor the remaining two minutes, during which Les Discrets embark on a long fade that’s all the more a march for the time it consumes, finally leaving just the strong current of notes that has backed the whole progression. The semi-titular “Ariettes Oubliées I: Je Devine à Travers un Murmure…“ begins acoustically with Teyssier’s solo vocals before Winterhalter and Hadorn join in, and seems as though it’s going to work within heavy/quiet tradeoffs after double-bass drumming and squiggly guitars take hold at 1:50. I’d have nothing to criticize if that’s the case, since Les Discrets never seem to just work within one sphere at a time, but the track finds a sort of middle ground in its final third, with more active acoustic guitar up front and a flowing river of electric guitar melody behind.

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With their signature crushing emotional weight in tow, French post-black metal forerunners Alcest return in 2012 with their third album, Les Voyages de l’Âme. The eight-track record, the title of which translates to “the journeys of the soul,” keeps its focus musically on Alcest’s well-developed melodic wash, toying with blastbeats, screams and other black metal genre conventions in the interest of exploring the kind of head-down melancholy that brought such notoriety to past efforts Écailles de Lune (2010; half-review here) and Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde (2007) and placed Alcest multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Stéphane “Neige” Paut at the head of a melodic movement championed by the label Prophecy Productions and acts like Les Discrets, Arctic Plateau and Lantlôs, of which Paut is also a member. Along with drummer Winterhalter (also of Les Discrets), who joined in 2009, Paut has long since established the sonic course of Alcest as a band. Indeed, even on the two extended tracks of 2005’s Le Secret EP, it seemed a specific aesthetic was driving Neige’s songwriting, and that has remained true and consistent across the ensuing releases – in conjunction with a steady touring schedule, that consistency is part of what has allowed Alcest to attain the profile they have. At times, it has felt like that adherence to aesthetic has trumped the actual songwriting in the creative process – songs have been more about the mood they generate or add to – and where that might also be the case given the overall affect of Les Voyages de l’Âme, there’s no question that the third full-length has Alcest’s most directly memorable material to date.

As compares to the relatively jagged guitar sound of Écailles de Lune, Les Voyages de l’Âme seems to have more in common with Souvenirs d’un Autre Monde in terms of its production. Neige’s guitar, bass and keys come through clearly and smooth, and right away on opener “Autre Temps,” it’s apparent that Alcest had definite structural ideas going into this album. “Autre Temps” was chosen as the lead-off single/video cut, and rightly so with its balance of catchy wistfulness and gracefully unfolding melody. The vocals are prominent without being overbearing, and play a considerable role in making the chorus so ethereal. Guitars are layered in acoustics and electrics, and Winterhalter’s drumming maintains a metallic percussive edge without sounding out of place amid the song’s gradual build. As ever for Alcest, “Autre Temps” evokes a feeling of longing and a contemplative kind of classical sadness. “Là Où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles” follows and revives the black metal screams that “Percées De Lumière” from Écailles de Lune explored, in this context using them to complement the melody in the chorus and eventually take the fore. Winterhalter adds blasts, and were the guitars not so unabashedly gorgeous and the melody not still so prominent, “Là Où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles” would essentially be traditional black metal. It’s not, and the song’s later minutes emphasize a propulsive post-rock feel, capping the nine minutes with fading guitar that brings on the title-track’s headphone-worthy density. Squiggly guitars serve as a chorus amid more subdued, lower-register verse vocals, and the initial sway breaks after three minutes to embark on Les Voyages de l’Âme’s most effective musical and vocal build, on which both Neige and Winterhalter contribute to a vast, stirring sprawl. Side A wraps with the winding verses of “Nous Sommes l’Emeraude,” a fitting (if short addition) to Alcest’s worship of nature and the passage of time within it.

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It is as caustic as it is melodically rich, and Agape, the third album from post-black metallers Lantlôs, masterfully blends melancholic solipsism with gripping aggression. Released like the French/German duo’s second album, .Neon (2010), through Prophecy Productions, Agape is best understood through the lens of collaboration. Lantlôs brings together Alcest’s Stéphane “Neige” Paut on vocals and multi-instrumentalist Markus “Herbst” Siegenhort, and each has a pivotal role to play in the overall atmosphere of Agape, for which Felix Wylezik also handled session drum work. Herbst, who also comprised the one-man black metal outfit of the same name and drummed for Impavida, is the driving figure behind the music of Agape’s five tracks, and is more concerned overall with setting a mood and an atmosphere than executing verses and choruses in succession. The songs are linear for the most part, or cyclical in some way, but even when parts repeat, they do so having changed somehow, so that the lushness of the melody behind the distortion at the beginning of closer “Eribo – I Collect the Stars” changes as the song develops and moves into and out of its ambient stretch. Long breaks find Herbst experimenting with guitar, bass and keys, as on opening cut “Intrauterin,” in which underwater guitar lays on top of far-off melodic echoes, or “Bliss,” which splits itself from the blasting of its first half to proffer winding-smoke jazz in its second, Wylezik adding personality to each tap of his ride cymbal in a way that wholly justifies his presence alongside Neige and Herbst.

As for Neige — who has seen the profile and cross-genre appeal of Alcest rise over the course of its two (soon three) full-lengths – his vocals will no doubt surprise many who approach Agape expecting something similar to the soft, wispy melodicism of his recent work. The slow, doomly march of “Intrauterin” is made all the more abrasive by his deep-seated screams, and though the song opens with two solid minutes of manipulated noise, there’s little to prepare the listener for either the heaviness of Wylezik’s crashes or the whine in Herbst’s guitar once the track actually gets going. Neige comes right in as well and sounds like his throat is trying to tear itself from his neck, and for the next two minutes, Lantlôs emit blackened doom of terrible ferocity, taking a pause after 4:30 as fading feedback gives way to the aforementioned melodic break. Around 7:45, they revive the plod and Neige reenters with screams, but the melody line skillfully interwoven, and it’s less a switch back and forth than a joining of the two sides into a cohesive and complementary whole – much like the band itself. At 9:52, “Intrauterin” is the longest song on Agape (immediate points there), and does a decent job of laying out the scope of the album, but “Bliss” immediately expands and somewhat works itself against those expectations by launching from the guitar line into a flurry of d-beat sub-blast drumming and drawn-out screams that seem to set up the slowdown that arrives at 1:23.

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Agape is the third album from the German/French collaboration Lantlôs, which unites Markus “Herbst” Siegenhort of Herbst and Stéphane “Neige” Paut of Alcest in an emotional torrent of atmospheric post-black metal. Joined by session drummer Felix Wylezik, Lantlôs is more a band than ever on Agape, which follows 2010′s .Neon and has already seen its European release through Prophecy Productions, weaving swiftly through searing black metal and contemplative, evocative ambience.

Today I’m fortunate enough to be able to premiere the song “Bliss” from Agape — which you can stream on the player above — and on it you’ll find Herbst and Neige working in tandem to express a singular but complex emotional ideology. Herbst in the multi-instrumentalist role on guitar and bass, Wyleszik providing drums and Neige contributing distant but still prominent screams, the song begins with guitar before launching into its blasted-out aggression, which in turn gives way toward the midpoint (listen to the bass there; it’s in the background, but not to be missed) to soft piano and a jazzy drum beat.

The build and climax that ensues from there is befitting the journey on which Lantlôs take the listener throughout the course of Agape, which like other Prophecy releases over the last couple years by bands like Alcest, Arctic Plateau, Les Discrets and others, pushes the boundaries of musical darkness and melancholy while also remembering that the core of a lasting song is its melody. Lantlôs does this and holds firm to its heaviness and abrasion as well, making it all the more impressive.

North American release is set for Jan. 7, 2012. For more info on Lantlôs, check out the band’s website. Prophecy Productions‘ catalog is available for viewing at this location.

…And in case you’re wondering, yes, it does feature children running in the forest.

Actually, it features children running in the forest and some pretty thickly laid-on imagery about the journey of life, but it also features the new song, “Autre Temps,” which is the first single from French post-black metallers Alcest‘s upcoming album, Les Voyages de l’Âme (translated: “The Journeys of the Soul”), set for release in January.

“Autre Temps” is available as a vinyl single now via the master purveyors of the artfully wistful, Prophecy Productions. Check that out here if you’re so inclined, and please enjoy the clip for the song below: