''Souvenirs d'un autre monde'' (; English: "Memories From Another World") is the first full-length album by French band

Alcest Alcest is a French post-black metal band from Bagnols-sur-Cèze, founded and led by Neige (Stéphane Paut). It began in 2000 as a black metal solo project by Neige, soon a trio, but following the release of their first demo in 2001, band membe ...

, released in August 2007. The title refers to the meaning behind the music of Alcest, as its leader and songwriter, Neige, sees it as a journey through his memories of a distant world he has been in contact with. Although it is representative of future works, the album differs greatly from Alcest's first release '' Le Secret'', distancing itself further from Alcest's original sound, and going more into

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way simil ...

and

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

-like direction while keeping some of the

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

part of the sound. It is the last release in which Neige plays all instruments, as he was joined by drummer Winterhalter on subsequent releases.

Reception

The album received generally positive reviews. Brian Way of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

lauded the emotional aspect of the album, stating it expressed "yearning, nostalgia, triumph and blissful peace, all without a single lyric in (discernible) English". Many reviewers noted the unique stylistic influences on the album, with Brad Angle of

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

describing the album as "unexpectedly profound and affecting. Where many black metal records tunnel inward to the dark centers of their authors, ''Souvenirs d'un autre monde'' looks outward and upward, encouraging the listener to release its grasp on reality and float into the ether." Kyle Ward of

Sputnik Music Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

was less impressed with the album, writing that "The ideas presented in ''Souvenirs d'un autre monde'' are solid, and rather revolutionary for the genre, but the songwriting is so blatantly flawed that any hope of this fantastic idea coming to realization are swiftly carried away, never to return again." In 2016,

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

ranked the album at number 32 in its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", saying:

Track listing

Personnel

; Alcest * Neige –

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s, bass,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

; Additional personnel *

Audrey Sylvain Audrey Sylvain (born 26 June 1984) is a French singer and dancer, originally from Avignon. Her first band was Amesoeurs. She also sang on Alcest's debut album. She was a full-time member in Peste Noire until her departure in 2016. In 2019 Audrey ...

– vocals on "Sur l'autre rive je t'attendrai" *

Fursy Teyssier Fursy Teyssier (born 22 September 1985) is a French songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist musician, album cover artist and animated film director. He is most known for being the creator, leader, guitarist, bass guitarist and lead vocalist of sh ...

– Cover art

References

{{Authority control 2007 debut albums Alcest albums Profound Lore Records albums