Tag Archives: Alcest

Wednesday in Columbus: Alcest at Ace of Cups

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ATTENTION METAL FRANCOPHILES! Alcest is from France. That’s where I’m going with this. Please allow me to apologize in advance, but I can’t think of a more apt term to descibe them than EPIC (anyone who uses this term IRL/unironically deserves to be hanged, drawn and quartered). It’s also very pretty. And heavy. And French.

Alcest – that is music from another world, a world that is real, but that exists beyond ours and cannot be grasped by our senses. A world where all appearances – trees, glades, streams – emit a pearly light and where a faraway and celestial music fills the air like sweet perfume. A world inhabited by infinitely benevolent and protective beings of light, communicating in a wordless ‘language’ directly from one soul to another. A world where the soul knows neither pain nor sickness nor sorrow, but is filled with a deep peace and an ineffable bliss. A world that lies ‘before’ and ‘after,’ ‘beside’ and ‘behind’ our world and the awareness of which stills mankind’s fears of death.

Mercurial Void and Brujas del Sol open.

8pm doors, 9pm show
$13 at the door
Ages 18+

Saturday at Outland: Enslaved

Some metal bands can be compared to historians. There are some bands who dedicate their entire existence to communicating their ideas about culture. There is Nile and Coffin Texts, both Egyptian themed bands; Xibalba, dedicated to Mayan culture; and Drudkh/ Hate Forest/ Astrofaes, who embrace their Slavonic roots. Enslaved, from Norway, have been playing viking-themed black metal since 1991. While the term “black metal” often elicits panda-painted men singing about satan, Enslaved have always operated outside of the box. Not content with the black metal status quo, Enslaved isn’t all tremolo and blast beats. The band side-steps the traditional sound and evolves toward progressive territories. While some Enslaved albums are not my cup of tea, I often look forward to hearing how the band is interpreting black metal. (You can download The Sleeping Gods EP in exchange for an email after the jump.)

Enslaved is headlining a tour that could have been “Clash of the Titans” for bearded Scion drivers. Unfortunately, polarizing group Ghost had to cancel the tour due to visa issues. Fear not bearded hustlers, Alcest, an equally polarizing French shoegaze band made of metal heads are still on board. Don’t expect any rampant satanism, just some time warp college dorm jams to take you back to 1992 and some dudes frowning. Unlike most metal shows, there may be actual women here. I’m letting you know in advance so you can ditch the deer in the headlights look.

Openers include yankees Junius (heavy progressive/ space rock) and local yankees Struck By Lightning.

The show starts at 6:30 pm on Saturday (October 1st) at Outland Live (18+).
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