Monday, September 9, 2013

Arcana Coelestia - Le Mirage de l'Idéal (2009)


Arcana Coelestia are a three-piece funeral doom outfit from Italy. They share members with, among others, Locus Mortis, a weird and awesome black metal band, and Urna, whose blackened sound has edged progressively closer to that of Arcana Coelestia. Both are definitely worth looking into.

While I really enjoyed Arcane Coelestia's first album, Le Mirage de l'Idéal improves on it in every conceivable way, and easily makes the shortlist of my all-time favorite doom metal records. The sound is just so impossibly huge and dense -- it sounds like there are like fifteen guitars, clean and distorted, all playing something different, at all times. Thickening this ominous cloud of sounds are guttural growls, midrange howls, male and female clean vocals, reverb-drenched drums, chiming pianos, and cavernous drones. Beautiful, ugly, heavy, emotionally gripping, and absolutely breathtaking.

Track listing:
1. Duskfall
2. Requiem (For the Fathomless Void of Redemption)
3. Le Mirage de l'Idéal
4. Tragedy & Delirium I - The Tragedy
5. Tragedy & Delirium II - The Delirium
6. ...Thus Fade in Nocturnal Deluge

Soon I’ll be memory for you to shed
My deliverance leaves no shadows behind, only dirty sand
While this needle pierces me gently
Soon I’ll betray you, escaping from the flesh
My salvation floats within your eyes

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