Jours Pâles – Résonances

Résonances is a fourth full-length album by the French melodic/post-black metal band Jours Pâles. It’s emerging from the ashes of Asphodèle. The band is led by Florian Lecomte aka Spellbound, meanwhile this 10-tracker album’s featuring guest appearances by following artists; Kim Carlsson (Consider Suicide), S.D. Ramirez (Psychonaut 4) and Pereg Ar Bagol (accordion). Résonances, released via Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions, consists of following ten tracks.

Tracklist:

1. La frontière entre nous et le néant

2. Une splendeur devenue terne

3. L’essentialité du frisson (Accordéon : Pierre Delaporte)

4. Cinéraire

5. Incommensurable (chanson pour Aldérica II)

6. Mouvement Ostentatoire Rémanent Totalitaire (Feat. Kim Carlsson)

7. Viens avec moi

8. J. Savile

9. La plus belle des saisons

10. 10-11-2021

Apart from the very professional booklet and cover artwork, first think noticeable is the emotionally raw nature of Résonances. Lyrical themes, although in French, are mainly focused on the emotional turmoil of father-child separation, alongside themes of death and modern disillusionment. I find it hard to separate the songs, so instead I shall speak in general terms and call it a ‘mix of melodic black metal and post-black metal’, where the main focus is on the unique atmospheric elements and numerous melancholic melodies. Talking of atmosphere – it’s haunting, intense and melancholic, similar to bands like Alcest or Heretoir, but with a more unique and personal musical identity.

Résonances features a plethora of emotive, icy & fiery riffs, the nuanced drumming, sublime well-placed keyboards and ultimately a very charismatic and trademark individual voice of Spellbound. Best moments are to be heard when the aforemtioned keys (adding the depth to the sound) fuse with his engaging and emotive vocals. After the initial listening to Résonances I was bemused by its multiple, mostly mellow, diverse moments as perfectly exemplified in an eleven-minute long opus called “Une splendeur devenue terne”. I would say that this particular track is the most representative of the band’s diverse, dynamic and well-structured mix of black/heavy/groove and melancholic modern metal. Production is well-crafted and structured, varied and dynamic, with multiple layers of depth in their core sound.

Album highlights for me would include the aforementioned “Une splendeur devenue terne” but also a song named “Mouvement Ostentatoire Rémanent Totalitaire” (feat. Kim Carlsson) – due to their emotional impact and complexity of both tracks.

Listening to Résonances twice now I feel a bit emotionally exhausted due to the complex nature of this record. However, I also felt a bit satisfied and rewarded because Résonances is a high-quality sonic experience. Thus, Résonances is highly recommended for fans of emotive, atmospheric and modern black metal, particularly those who enjoy the melancholic yet intense sound of the likes of Alcest, Heretoir, Deafheaven, Harakiri For The Sky, Gaerea etc.

Read more on this initial release by the French act Jours Pâles on label’s bandcamp, or listen to the whole release following the link below.