Celeste “Pessimiste(s)” CD

"Pessimiste(s)", a split release from Alchimia Recordings and Purepainsugar, is the debut EP from Celeste, a French act featuring former members of Mihai Edrisch. You could draw parallels from this material to early Isis and early Cult of Luna on some level (mainly in terms of the presence of both crushing heaviness and softer atmospheric elements), though the compositions are shorter/more focused, and the Mihai Edrisch connection brings in a frantic edge that shifts the vibe into a more caustic and jangly direction on occasion. Vocally expect nothing but fierce screams, though... they're not fuckin' around in that department at all. The overall aesthetic of the material is loosely comparable to other acts within circles of the French scene (as well as that of Switzerland), but while I was into what Mihai Edrisch was doing, I dig this a lot more, and there are some truly powerful moments within these 18 minutes that already help to differentiate Celeste from their peers—even at this early stage in their development. The packaging is cool as shit on this thing, too—with some amazing looking landscape photographs and an outer booklet printed on vellum that contains all of the text. Good stuff. I'm already looking forward to more...

Celeste "Diluons Nos Souvenirs D'enfance"

You know how it goes, make the grab if you're into it:

29 North Records

This one's gonna be available on vinyl from a third label sometime in the future as well, and it'll probably look equally as slick, so... if you're into that sort of thing, keep your eyes peeled for that one.