La Litanie des Cendres is the new Shunu Records release from French atmospheric doom outfit Angellore, featuring nearly an hours worth of music spread out over 5 lengthy tracks. Though the band have been together since 2007 and have a few EPs under their belt, La Litanie des Cendres is only their second full length release after their 2012 debut Errances. Comprised of Rosarius (Guitars, bass, clean & extreme vocals, keyboards),
Walran (Extreme & clean vocals, keyboards) and Ronnie (Drums), the trio create a huge, dense wall of sound, thick with keyboards, alternating clean & growling vocals (with the occasional guest female vocal) and slow, heavy guitar riffs. All of the tracks here are epic sounding, and quite honestly very gorgeous at times. This is not your typical doom metal, nor the funeral type, but instead something grandiose yet melancholy, like a meeting of My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Opeth, with melodies soaring, and musical arrangements alluring. "A Shrine of Clouds" is nearly 14-minutes of bliss, the passages of death metal dirges offset by sections filled with majestic keyboard soundscapes and mourning atmosphere, while "Still Glowing Ashes" sees the menacing male growls swirl around guest Lucia's angelic crooning, as huge guitar riffs, pounding rhythms, and ethereal keys drift about the mix. Soaring male vocals supported by huge orchestral keyboards permeate the lush "Twilights Embrace", and "Inertia" reminds of Anathema with its sweeping arrangements and pop laden male/female vocal interplay. The closing 18-minute epic "Moonflower" lets the band uncover their prog, folk & gothic leanings, as haunting keyboards drift in and out of heavy guitar passages, exquisite lead guitar lines, and tortured vocal growls
This is a very impressive album, a doom record that surprisingly doesn't rely on riffs as many others do, but still packing that same melancholy yet powerful punch. Do yourself a favor and check this out and be pleasantly surprised.
Track Listing
01. A Shrine of Clouds
02. Still Glowing Ashes
03. Twilight's Embrace
04. Inertia
05. Moonflower
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