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Lantlôs - Melting Sun review




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Reviewer:
9.4

102 users:
7.84
Band: Lantlôs
Album: Melting Sun
Release date: May 2014


01. Melting Sun I: Azure Chimes
02. Melting Sun II: Cherry Quartz
03. Melting Sun III: Aquamarine Towers
04. Melting Sun IV: Jade Fields
05. Melting Sun V: Oneironaut
06. Melting Sun VI: Golden Mind
07. Melting Sun VII [artbook bonus]

Another semi-quasi-black metal band has taken all the "black" out of their music in favor of a relatively fresh and trendy, dare I say, "hipster" sound. Markus Siegenhort, aka Herbst, has fancied his band Lantlôs to contemporary and utopian heights. Provocative and emotive, Lantlôs show every sign of picking up the pieces after their surprising but drama-free divorce from Neige. Wanting to move on, there is no post-Neige hangover here, thank you very much.

Melting Sun pretty much will be a shock to anyone wanting anything resembling Lantlôs's last two releases, .neon and Agape. Those two albums are mighty fine examples of perfect crossbreeding between shoegazing and black metal. Although Neige was relegated to singing on those albums, his influence on the overall sound cannot go unnoticed. Alcest is the measuring stick every metalgaze band wants to size up and Lantlôs have established a demeanor refreshing to a scene fueled with a lack of diversity.

Right from the outset and through the end of this 40-minute spectacle, Melting Sun transits a perfect combination of concrete and aggressive song structures and dreamy, abstract climates. A virtual stockpile of charming and harmonious soft-metal moments, the ascendancy is a welcome change. The album delivers an effort of staggering thickness, savory sadness, and a wandering limitless acceptance. Like most dreampop and shoegaze music, there is a euphoric sense of buildup; the entire vibe of the album creates an almost plodding crescendo of the most overwhelming sense of anticipation.

To me, ever since Líam, Herbst has been a master of forging perfect guitar dispositions and textures. The massive wall of those layered guitar tones are the principal merits on this album. He just has a knack for combining melody and mesmeric moments of audio elation with ruthlessness and anguish. Heavily processed bass guitar, synthesizers, and drum work create a blissy, dreamlike, and majestic sonic template that's equally emotionally intense.

Now that Neige is gone, Herbst has taken over the vocal duties. Nothing special, his voice seems only to aid the darkening sound that somehow now seems to be made more brilliant and prismatic. Moreover, his voice eases along with beautiful melodies and gorgeous passages that collide gracefully with ambient chords and tremelo-picked noodling. Excessive use of reverb and echoey guitar lines allow the songs to vent celestial and spacey beams of light. All of these peripherals collectively are downright transcendent.

We may have to include this new era of Lantlôs under the umbrella of post-rock, and after listening to this incredible album I do not have any doubts Melting Sun will recruit new fans - or put off old ones. I, for one, love the entire package and applaud Herbst for taking a bit of a risk by creating an album under his own terms and conditions. I can't think of any more adjectives to describe this release, just go listen to it and enjoy.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 10
Originality: 9
Production: 10





Written on 02.07.2014 by Be gentle, I never said I was any good at this!


Comments page 2 / 2

Comments: 47   Visited by: 291 users
03.07.2014 - 20:00
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Also, as far as Joe. Last time I checked he actually enjoys Alcest debut and Le Secret EP. I like Amesoeurs' vocals D: Also, Flyleaf makes me go just... urgh. The vocals xD
ANYWAYS, about this album. I should give it a spin soon. As I said earlier, I remember liking some of the tracks they released earlier. Lantlôs are definitely doing this shit better than what Alcest is doing nowdays.

Written by Ilham on 03.07.2014 at 05:17
But there is no need to have balls to talk to me, look at the sad sods I associate with.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH...HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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03.07.2014 - 20:08
Slayer666

Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.07.2014 at 20:00

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH...


Oh man, I needed this clip in my life so much... xD
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03.07.2014 - 20:14
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Ilham on 03.07.2014 at 04:13

Surprised by the extent of your laziness. Weird, could have sworn you'd love it. I did.

5 years ago I might have, but I tired of the whole post-rock / punk / gaze thing in black metal a long time ago. Had a brief listen of a song from this and it sounded more like post-metal to me. Wasn't bad, but not something I'd really listen to either.
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03.07.2014 - 20:20
Slayer666

Yea, judging by what I've heard from this so far, there's definitively a fair bit of metal in it, not just heavier dream pop as teamster says. It's pretty decent stuff too.
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03.07.2014 - 20:28
Rating: 7
Ilham
Giant robot
I knew Doc would jump at that little joke .

Written by Guest on 03.07.2014 at 20:14

5 years ago I might have, but I tired of the whole post-rock / punk / gaze thing in black metal a long time ago. Had a brief listen of a song from this and it sounded more like post-metal to me. Wasn't bad, but not something I'd really listen to either.

That's exactly it. As I told Jay, I left around the time Neige started provoking erections everywhere. I didn't have the time to get sick of it.
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03.07.2014 - 20:29
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Ilham on 03.07.2014 at 20:28

That's exactly it. As I told Jay, I left around the time Neige started provoking erections everywhere. I didn't have the time to get sick of it.

He seemed to plant his seed everywhere. What a massive slut.
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03.07.2014 - 20:44
Rating: 8
InnerSelf
proofread free
Loved the review Jay. Herbst is developing his own sound nicely and he doesn't seem to be afraid of using this sort of dense, crystal clear production which is not what's standard for the shoegaze/dreampop sort of albums.
The replay value of the album is great too, as I keep finding new details with every subsequent listen (and there has been many).
----
He who is not bold enough
to be stared at from across the abyss
is not bold enough
to stare into it himself.
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03.07.2014 - 23:48
telephonebear
Account deleted
I thought the album art was an ice cream at first
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04.07.2014 - 00:04
Rating: 7
Karlabos
Meat and Potatos
Written by Guest on 03.07.2014 at 23:48

I thought the album art was an ice cream at first

Cannot be unseen
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"Aah! The cat turned into a cat!"
- Reimu Hakurei
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05.07.2014 - 11:52
Rating: 10
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by X-Ray Rod on 03.07.2014 at 20:00

ANYWAYS, about this album. I should give it a spin soon.


I forgot to mention in the review be sure to pick up the special art book edition because the bonus track is awesome and ends the album with a huge exclamation point!
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rekt
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05.07.2014 - 20:22
AnGina--
Dark Phoenix
Great album, great review. Nothing else needs to be said.
----
You think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. Molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was a man. But it was nothing to me but blinding.
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08.07.2014 - 13:31
Blast 76

Not in the mood for this..... but the work is good...
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09.07.2014 - 17:42
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
I find this extremely boring, but to each his own I guess.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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10.07.2014 - 16:00
Rating: 10
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Written by Boxcar Willy on 09.07.2014 at 17:42

I find this extremely boring, but to each his own I guess.


Really? I thought for sure this is right up your alley. Maybe the post rock direction on this has turned you off a bit..
----
rekt
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10.07.2014 - 21:23
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Written by tea[m]ster on 10.07.2014 at 16:00

Really? I thought for sure this is right up your alley. Maybe the post rock direction on this has turned you off a bit..

Yeah I get bad vibes from this, I feel like it's really trying to be fresh and new with a "Hey look no more black" outlook but it doesn't really achieve that in my opinion.

I've never really liked The band minus the song Pulse/Surreal which is a masterpiece, so that probably subconciously affects how I think about this too
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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14.07.2014 - 06:09
Diverge

I need to check this one out. Gorgeous review, Jay!
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15.07.2014 - 04:48
Rating: 10
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Holy fuck, I just listened to this again, by myself, with headphones, paying attention to every spec of detail...folks, this is my AOTY. So fucking beautiful, I felt tears comin' on. It just hits the heart in the right spot....no I haven't been drinking.
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rekt
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