Arcana Coelestia - Le Mirage De L'Idéal review
| Band: | Arcana Coelestia |
| Album: | Le Mirage De L'Idéal |
| Style: | Atmospheric black metal, Funeral doom metal |
| Release date: | April 2009 |
01. Duskfall
1 - An Autumnal Overture
2 - The Silent Pilgrim
3 - In Eclipse
02. Requiem (For The Fathomless Void Of Redemption)
03. Le Mirage De L'Idéal
04. Tragedy & Delirium I (The Tragedy)
05. Tragedy & Delirium II (The Delirium)
06. ...Thus Fade In Nocturnal Deluge
Heavy Metal has always had its fair share of occult themed bands and concept albums, with varying degrees of quality. Ridiculous and laughable, mesmerizing and haunting, and everything in between. There's always been a fair share of conceptual madness to our favourite music style, too, and it are exactly these two factors that Arcana Coelestia ('Heavenly Secrets' in Latin) combine on their genre-transcending Le Mirage De L'Idéal.
With a story based on the Swedish writer August Strindberg, a man who's life bordered on madness which he himself called his "Infernocrisis", the music is quite fitting. Their mixture of Black and Funeral Doom often reminds the listener of Esoteric with it's maelstrom riffs, hellfire production and cataclysmic approach at the end of times. A scorching experience, with genial twists, is what Arcana Coelestia offers us. Even though the sound is spaciously produced there are few moments to breathe as you're enveloped by a cloak of sound from the get-go. Going through all moods on the darker side of the spectrum, touching melancholy, hate, grief, torment and everything inbetween, it is an emotionally riveting album that'll warp your mind's eye.
The album cover art represents the music only in the sense if it depicts the split-second before a Greek God jealous of the lucky swan comes barging in, rips the swan's organs out and throws them in the cosmic whirpool he created when barging in - to let the swan's intestines swirl forever in the flames of perishing cosmic hellfire. Arcana Coelestia's Le Mirage De L'Idéal may not beat Esoteric's The Maniacal Vale in terms of pure soul annihilation, but hey, that's hardly surprising. It is still one hell of an album, a must for anyone that wants his soul torn to shreds.
 | Written on 02.10.2009 by If you're interested in extreme, often emotional and underground music, check out my reviews. I retired from reviewing, but I really used to be into that stuff. |
Comments
Comments: 17
Visited by: 190 users
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466 From: Serbia  |
Loading...
|
| Sunioj Posts: 3894 From: Finland  |
Loading...
|
| silenius Posts: 527 From: Sweden  |
Loading...
|
| Dark Seraphim Posts: 70 From: UK  |
After reading this review I was curious so I listened to he Duskfall song. It blew me away so I just ordered the album. 
Loading...
|
| Thanntos Posts: 124 From: USA  |
Thanks for writing this Lucas! This album needs to be heard by more people, it is a true masterpiece. The lower production value though, plays into the whole atmosphere of the album, and thus make it that much more crushing and beautiful. In all honesty, no other album has moved me this much in a while, other then EA's 'EA II" this year, and Mar de Grises' 'Draining the Waterheart'. I have tried to spread the word on this album best I can, now its all your turn!
---- I will kill you so hard you will die to death.
Loading...
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden  |
Is amazing indeed... But damn, It *really* remains me of Esoteric's masterpiece that was The Maniacal Vale. And therefore it sounds well... Not something I will be all excited about even though I know I'm supposed to since I like this kind of music. Although I gotta say that the vocals work is really really good and special.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
| Sunioj Posts: 3894 From: Finland |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.10.2009 at 04:15 Oh yes. I was intrigued when I heard the clean male vocals.. but the occasional female vocals also fit in pretty well. I like that its sung in a way that is melodic, but not bombastic. The conviction is there.
Loading...
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden |
Written by Sunioj on 04.10.2009 at 05:55 Exactly... I thought it was going to be very bombastic [it happens to a lot of doom bands from Italy imo]. But I almost shat bricks with the female kinda operatic vocals... that kept me interested the whole track
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
| Sunioj Posts: 3894 From: Finland |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 04.10.2009 at 06:12 That thought also crossed my mind a couple times, I am definitely glad they stand above the stereotype - it gives me more respect for this band.
Loading...
|
| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
And I still haven't got hold of this one, damn,  Written by Thanntos on 03.10.2009 at 22:22 Got hold of Ea II and to be honest I feel it being generic funeral doom as generic funeral doom can be, nothing sparkling, moving or toherwise above average about it. It is just one fo the many funeral doom release out there.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
Loading...
|
| treptolemus aphotic_zoning Posts: 207 From: Greece  |
The cover art is illustrated by Gustave Moreau & depicts . Leda
---- \m/etalstor\m/
Loading...
|
| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands |
Written by Thanntos on 03.10.2009 at 22:22 Finally got the album and I really enjoy it. It will certainly make my top releases of the year. Okay not as good as the new Process Of Guilt but very good nonetheless 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
Loading...
|
| Devilspeed Posts: 36 From: USA  |
Loading...
|
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466 From: Serbia |
Damn, how the fuck did this not win 2009 MS Award? By far the best Doom album that came out that year, absolute, sheer, soul-chrushing masterpiece.
Loading...
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden |
Written by Slayer666 on 28.04.2010 at 22:50 I voted for it, it is indeed a brilliant album. Then again I'm still really happy for the results because the doom and the extreme doom categories had many if not every single band as a band that could have won the award. It might sound cheesy but I think that everyone won in those two categories... A great year for doom indeed.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466 From: Serbia |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 28.04.2010 at 23:58 Yep, it did sound cheesy. I can't agree with you here, specially in the classic (non-extreme) Doom section. Candlemass' album is kinda meh, athough I have to say I never liked Candlemass one bit. I'm pointing out Candlemass because they were the winners, but about half of the nominated albums are medicore at best, to me at least. But Extreme Doom section had some awesome nominates, for sure.
Loading...
|
| X-Ray Rod Skandino Posts: 18274 From: Sweden |
Written by Slayer666 on 30.04.2010 at 23:43 Well, When I think of Doom I usually think of what the MS says that is "Extreme Doom" so I was talking specifically about that category. I won't coment about Candlemass because I couldn't disagree more but yeah, they didn't deserve the award anyway, Process Of Guilt was the real winner. Extreme Dooom category had on the other hand Urna, Ahab, Stabat Mater, Profetus, Colosseum and Arcana Coelestia. All of them deserved to win imo.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Loading...
|
Hits total: 5797 | This month: 5