▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Cepheide ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Respire █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-08-23 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Ogmios Underground ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ In 2014, French band Cepheide released their debut █ █ CD recording, a strong and moody ambient black █ █ metal work with plenty of fire and aggression. █ █ Cepheide's follow-up work, "Respire", is also a █ █ powerful release but one that goes in a very █ █ different direction with much more emphasis on █ █ deep immersion in particular atmospheres and █ █ moods. Whereas the earlier recording featured █ █ short songs, "Respire" consists of two tracks of █ █ varied styles of music each meandering past the █ █ 15-minute mark. █ █ First track "Le Souffle Br√lant De L'ImmaculΘ" is █ █ an urgent epic piece of heart-rending sadness and █ █ despair with tortured howling vocals, thumping █ █ percussion, rapidly fluttering tremolo guitar █ █ loops and near-hysterical background synth wash. █ █ The guitar chords and riffs have a heavy, doomy █ █ tone, and these are sure to make a strong █ █ impression on listeners as the music changes █ █ constantly throughout. The track is nearly all █ █ rapid-fire pacing with no pauses for rest and █ █ introspection that allow listeners time to fully █ █ absorb everything they're hearing. █ █ "La Chute d'Une Ombre" is the mega-departure from █ █ the band's usual style of moody BM, starting as a █ █ darkly sinister, brooding world of ominous █ █ deep-space drone wash through which stray tones, █ █ echo and possible ghostly voices from another █ █ universe float and drift. Full-on black metal █ █ activity including deranged shrieking comes in █ █ about the 7th minute and continues for several █ █ minutes, gradually slowing down into something █ █ more rhythmic and doomy, and not completely fading █ █ away in the deep and grim darkness. The rest of █ █ the track is a battle between the forces of chaos █ █ and those of sanity, fighting for possession of █ █ the screaming vocalist. █ █ Both tracks are almost opposed to each other in █ █ their relative balance of BM and atmospheric █ █ music, yet both share a distinct vision of deep █ █ pain and madness. The brooding ambience is heavy █ █ and suffocating, and the suffering and anguish █ █ expressed in the vocals is too agonising for █ █ listeners to bear. The drama in the second track █ █ as it continues relentlessly through confusion and █ █ shadowy desolation reaches extremes of on-the-edge █ █ horror. The only problems listeners might have █ █ with the EP are the lengths of both tracks - their █ █ introductions are very slow, and maybe some █ █ editing here and there could speed up the music █ █ and lessen the agony - and the production which █ █ throws an alienating veil of echo and shadow over █ █ the music and blunts some of the riffing and █ █ melodies. █ █ This is a very good and ambitious second release, █ █ coming early in the band's career, with a good █ █ balance of experimentation and more structured █ █ music. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Le Souffle Br√lant de l'ImmaculΘ 16:55 ░ ░ 2. La Chute d'Une Ombre 19:03 ░ ░ 35:58 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░