ANGELLORE - NOCTURNES

A voice comes singing in my dreams; an incongruous enchantment pulling me away from my simple fantasies, replays of mundane moments and unfounded anxieties. It leads me beneath the boughs of towering trees, through unspoilt alpine meadows and in the shadows of mountain peaks, beneath the glowering eyes of ancient fortresses of blackened stone. Emotions I have never dared to feel, even in my journeys through the realms of sleep, tear me open beneath vast, storm fractured skies…and I awake bereft, my siren still unseen but my heart enraptured.

For nearly twenty years Avignon's Angellore have ensorcelled and delighted fans and critics alike with their unique blend of gothic doom, folkloric influence, drama, storytelling and grand emotion; weaving traditional instruments into the rich layers of sound that have characterised remarkable, enthralling albums like 2015s La Litanie des Cendres and 2020s acclaimed Rien Ne Devait Mourir, described by Angry Metal Guy as painting “a despairingly beautiful picture for the listener to enjoy”. And now it is time for a new chapter in Angellore's epic tale, an album that has been slowly developing in the darkness for the best part of ten, long years - their most profoundly affecting creation to date - Nocturnes…

The tale begins with 'Falling Birds', a dolorous dance shifting into powerful chords, laced with melancholic melody, that usher in a voice of aching, angelic purity and guitar lines laden with sorrow. Like an unfolding fairytale the music carries you through shadows and sadness, splendour and tragedy, broken hearts and betrayal…another world is revealed within the song - one of heightened emotion and magic, lost souls and monsters - and passages of oboe and bass clarinet add immeasurably to the mesmerising aura. Angellore never release you from the spell cast by 'Falling Birds', the journey continuing into 'Black Sun River', a spirit stirring track that binds you within its ghost dance, steeped in passion that can transcend ages, love that burns through the centuries. The unhurried fable of 'Forsaken Fairytale' follows, highlighting the wonderful versatility and variety of voices that the band possess, creating an array of characters that populate their stories. The harsh vocals contrasting with the quiet dignity of the music, speaking with a bitter clarity and heartfelt expression, while beautiful flute and sublime piano add to a seemingly limitless palette of sound from which Angellore can draw. Cathedral choirs beckon in the transportative 'Martyrium', a gateway to wind blasted moors where clouds race through the night sky across the face of the moon. Wherever you might be, when you listen to this song it becomes midnight in your mind, each note falling like cold rain as you are given a glimpse of what it means to feel beyond reason and to love beyond madness. And finally, there is 'A Dormant Stream'; a dazzling tapestry of emotion woven from tactile textures…delicate simplicity, words intoned with strength and meaning, sweetly measured guitar lines in a stately dance with ethereal flute and formidable chords of breathtaking grandeur that lead us in sombre procession to the album's end.

Recorded in an array of different studios, in different countries, from Iceland to Belgium, Nocturnes was engineered and mixed by Déhà (Inborn Suffering, Wolvennest, Cult Of Erinyes etc) and mastered by Markus Skroch (October Falls, Sig:Ar:Tyr, The Chasm etc) and the results couldn't be more apt - smooth, deep and all-encompassing. With cover artwork created by the band's own Florent 'Celin' Castellani that encapsulates the spirit of the album, Nocturnes will be released on May 15th by Ardua Music - prepare to be bewitched…

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