French atmospheric metal luminaries ALCEST have posted an update on progress of their forthcoming fourth studio album. In March, he band entered Sundlaugin Studio in Iceland to begin recording the successor of Les Voyages De L’Âme with producer Birgir Jón Birgisson.
Mainman Neige: “I spent the two last weeks at Sundlaugin studio in Iceland to complete the album mix. It is finished now and we are really happy with it, we cannot wait to have the final master in our hands! We would like to thank our friend Biggi for his kindness, patience and for the great work he has done on the album. The overall Icelandic experience has had a great influence on our state of mind during the recording, and it therefore influenced the album’s sound itself. We are going to miss this place a lot – until we come back! Now we will start working on the visuals, and will soon reveal more information about the album. Stay tuned.”
Last year, Neige had this to say about the new Alcest material: “You can expect something different from Alcest’s previous releases. I don’t think there are any metal music elements anymore, though a lot of very intense parts and dynamics are still there. Things are just done in another way, and the core remains the same. That album will come back to the nostalgic side of Alcest, it’s very dreamy, aquatic and a bit less progressive than the last two albums. Melodies are taking their time to grow, if you see what I mean. I feel very excited about these songs and this new approach feels very refreshing to me.”
Guest appearances of Neil Halstead (SLOWDIVE, MOJAVE 3) and Billie Lindhal (PROMISE AND THE MONSTER) have been confirmed so far.
The yet untitled album is tentatively scheduled for a release in late 2013 or early 2014 on Prophecy Productions.