Review CELESTE ‘Assassine(s)’

Celeste is a band, hailing from Lyon, France. The quartet isn’t a newcomer since Celeste has already five longplayers under their belt. What might bring a bit more attention to their music and sound is, that the band inked a deal with Nuclear Blast. Such a cooperation might open doors for the four guys from Lyon and ‘Assassine(s)’ is the first attempt of reaching new fans.

After five years without a new longplayer, Celeste let ‘Assassine(s)’ off the leash in January 2022, an eight-songs featuring record. Celeste has their musical roots in punk and hardcore, which in parts is still present. However, the band slowly moved on towards post-hardcore and black metal which they skillfully merge with sludge. The result of this effort is a dark and vehement metal blend that extrapolates after a few times listening to the album.

‘Des torrents de coups’ kicks off the album and what is evident right away is the uncompromising heaviness of Celeste’s sound. There is an evil factor in this song, as it is with the other seven tracks on the album. At the same time there is a hellish grin in every riff that goes well together with the jangling vocals of frontman Johan.

What acts as an extra tool of tension in Celeste’s sound is an atmospheric approach to the songs, a stylistic ingredient that adds extra density throughout. The seven minutes closer ‘Le Coeur noir charbon’ reflects this very well. The middle section builds soundscapes that pretend that there are some sunrays before clouds wrap the listener’s soul in darkness again.

‘Draguée tout au fonds’ fits in this context of Celeste’s sound and at the same time is much more to the point, compared with the closer. A pounding beat and a devilish vibe, that is what swings with the song, a tribute to hellish gloom.

‘Assassin(s)’ is an album that showcases a band on their journey to a more solid spot in the world of metal. A new label and sticking to their basic musical roots are the main components of this endeavor. Album number six has certainly the potential to achieve the aim. However, I also have to say that surfing through these 41 minutes has some length. The quartet stays very much in a similar pattern and after a while the idea of repetition starts to grow. There are the nuances and details that vary while the overarching musical pattern, with the exception of ‘(A)’, shows too much of the similar. Still, good music that avoids any colors and is based on a black and white contrast, as the cover artwork.