Alcest
Kodama
Prophecy Productions

French rock band Alcest will bring their wall of blackgaze to the sweaty Hidden Agenda on April 19, in support of their latest album, Kodama. Yes, you read that correctly, Alcest play “blackgaze”, post-black metal mixed with shoegaze (in case you aren’t down with the kids, grandad), a genre the band are widely credited with having pioneered on their 2005 E.P, Le Secret. Founded by Stéphane Paut, who prefers the name Neige, as a solo project in 2000, Alcest became a duo with the addition of drummer Winterhalter, and their sound has morphed over five albums, from raw metal into more uplifting and atmospheric soundscapes. It’s influencedby Neige’s childhood dreams of a fairy land, “a place with colours, forms, and sounds that do not exist here”. Kodama’s six tracks consist of aggressive metal riffs over ethereal pop melodies as Neige’s abrasive screams and Winterhalter’s manic beats subside into moments of serenity. Their blackgaze should make for a mesmer­ising spectacle.