YEAR OF NO LIGHT - CONSOLAMENTUM 2LP Pelagic Red 2021 French POST METAL ROCK M
£
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Description
YEAR OF NO LIGHT - CONSOLAMENTUM, German PELAGIC RECORDS PEL 166-V, 2021.
ORIGINAL German 2LP ISSUE with G/F Sleeve & Inners, Diecut Sleeve, Limited Aletheia Edition, Red Splatter Vinyl, Outer Poly Sleeve.
Superb French Post-Metal/Doom-Metal/Post-Rock/Experimental... their latest studio album.
Sometimes adding more weight to something that’s already heavy feels like relief. When the staggering build-up of layer on layer of guitars and synths towards the end of ‘Aletheia’ reaches its boiling point, when the tension and drama become too suffocating to bear, the sudden discharge into the following upbeat part, based on a single power chord gallopping away at the speed of no light feels strangely alleviative. This is the moment when the feet leave the ground, and the bones of the arms of the heretic crack, being pulled up in a strappado behind his back. One of the most agonizing and arguably one of the greatest moments in heavy music of the past decade.
YEAR OF NO LIGHT‘s lengthy, sprawling compositions of towering walls of guitars and sombre synths irradiate a sense of dire solemnity and spiritual gravity, and couldn’t be a more fitting soundtrack for such grim medieval scenarios. But there is also the element of absolution, regeneration, elevation, transcendence in the face of death. Consolamentum is dense, rich and lush and yet somehow feels starved and deprived.
It comes as no surprise that ever since the beginning of their career, the band have had an obsession for the fall of man and salvation through darkness. The term “consolamentum” describes the sacrament, the initiation ritual of the Catharic Church, which thrived in Southern Europe in the 12th – 14th century – a ritual that brought eternal austereness and immersion in the Holy Spirit.
“There’s a thread running through all of our albums”, says the band, collectively “an exploration of the sensitive world that obeys a certain telos, first fantasized (“Nord”) and reverberated (“Ausserwelt”), then declaimed as a warning (“Tocsin”). The deeper we dig, the more the motifs we have to unveil appear to us. Yes, it’s a bit gnostic. This album is invoked after the Tocsin, it’s the epiphany of the Fall.”
With debut album Nord (2006) and sophomore release Ausserwelt (2010), the band made themselves a name in the European avant-metal scene. Extensive tours of Europe, North America and Russia in 2013 and 2014, including two appearances at Roadburn festival, Hellfest and a spectacular performance in a 17th Century fortress in the Carpathian mountains introduced them to a broader and quickly growing international audience.
The cinematic scope of their music implies that YEAR OF NO LIGHT are a group of artists that pay a great deal of attention to their visual representation, from the classy album artworks and merch designs to the carefully designed lighting design of their live show. Behind this stands a real, personal interest of the band members in historic cinema. This has led the French 6 piece to create a stunning obituary-soundtrack for C. T. Dreyer’s 1932 movie “Vampyr” in 2013, and an original score for Jean Rouch’s 1955 short film “Les Maîtres Fous” which the band performed at Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. The track “Désolation” off Tocsin appeared on the soundtrack of the movie “Jessica forever”. Besides these ventures into film music, the band at times took on the structure of an open collective and collaborated with contemporary French artists such as Christian Vialard for a video installation reinterpretaing Yves Klein’s Monotone Symphony.
With their seminal 3rd album Tocsin, released in 2013, YEAR OF NO LIGHT reached the peak of their career thus far – a logical decision that Consolamentum was made with the same team again: recorded and mixed by Cyrille Gachet at Cryogene in Begles / Bordeaux, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side. “We wanted this album to sound as organic and analog as possible”, comments the band. “All tracks were recorded live. The goal was to have the most natural, warm and clean takes possible, to give volume to the dynamics of the songs. We aimed to have a production with a singular personality.”
For the adept listener, Consolamentum seems to be venturing deeper into the dark and claustrophobic spheres explored on Tocsin – but the band doesn’t conceive of the evolution of their music in a linear way, as it would be apparent from looking at their discography. “It’s more a matter of sonic devotion. Music against modern times. Year Of No Light” is above all a praxis. We wanted intensity, trance, climax and threat, all of them embedded in a bipolar and mournful ethos.”
Consolamentum is huge, poignant, frightening, sublime, smothering and cathartic – and, much like its predecessor, “audacious, memorable and supremely confident.” (Decibel magazine).
Tracks are: Side 1: Objurgation. Side 2: Alètheia, Interdit Aux Vivants Aux Morts Et Aux Chiens. Side 3: Réalgar, Came.
This is the Aletheia edition, limited to just 200 copies... sells for 33 Euros on the Pelagic site.
A really nice copy.
Condition is M- to Mint/Mint (cover/records), cover has no cutout.
POSTAGE:
If you win more than one item please wait for your invoice for the correct combined postage amount.UK: £4.50 for up to 6/7 LPs under 2 Kg with a value of up to £100. For over 2 Kg, approximately £8 for values up to £100, £12 for values up to £200, £15 for values up to £300.
CDs & 7" Singles are FREE with LPs, otherwise £2.30 for the first then 50p for each additional. Thicker CD Box Sets are the same as LPs due to the size/weight. For larger orders cost will be the same as LPs depending on the weight/value.
Ireland/Germany/France: 9/10.50 GBP for the 1st LP (for under/over 500g, most LPs are under), 2 LPs 10.50 GBP, 3 LPs 12 GBP. With tracking: 10.50/11.50 GBP for 1st LP (under/over 500g), 2-7 LPs 12 GBP (but France: 1 LP 12 GBP, 2-7 LPs 13 GBP).
Other EU: 10/11.50 GBP for the 1st LP (for under/over 500g, most LPs are under), 2 LPs 11.50 GBP, 3 LPs 13 GBP. With tracking: 12/13 GBP for 1st LP (under/over 500g), 2 LPs 13 GBP, 3-5 LPs 14 GBP, 6/7 LPs 15 GBP. Some EU countries are slightly less for tracking.
NON-EU: 11/12.50 GBP for the 1st LP (for under/over 500g, most LPs are under), 2 LPs 12.50 GBP, 3 LPs 14.50 GBP, 4 LPs 16.50 GBP. With tracking: 14.50/15.50 GBP for 1st LP (under/over 500g), 2 LPs 15.50 GBP, 3 LPs 16.50 GBP, 4 LPs 17.50 GBP, 5-7 LPs: 18.50 GBP.
All Europe: 1st CD/Single is 5/6.50 GBP (for under/over 100g) then the next CD/Single is 1.50 GBP... then each batch of 2 are 2 GBP.
CANADA/JAPAN/ASIA/ZONE 1: 16/19 GBP for the 1st LP (for under/over 500g, most LPs are under), then additional single LPs are 3 GBP each. Tracking: 17/20 GBP for 1st LP (for under/over 500g), 2 LPs 20 GBP, 3 LPs 24 GBP, 4 LPs 27 GBP, 5 LPs 28 GBP, 6-7 LPs 30 GBP. 1st CD/Single is 6/9 GBP (for under/over 100g), 2 CDs 9 GBP, 3/4 CDs 12.50 GBP.
USA: Tracked: 16.50 GBP for the 1st LP (under 500g), 2/3 LPs (under 1 Kg) 19.50 GBP, 4 to 6/7 LPs 23 GBP. 1st CD/Single is 6/9.50 GBP (for under/over 100g), 2 CDs 9.50 GBP, 3/4 CDs 13 GBP.
AUSTRALIA/ZONE 2: 18 GBP/21.50 GBP for the 1st LP (for under/over 500g, most LPs are under), then additional single LPs are 3.50 GBP each up to 6/7 LPs. Tracking: 19/23 GBP for 1st LP (for under/over 500g), 2 LPs 23 GBP, 3 LPs 27 GBP.
1st CD/Single is 6/10.50 GBP (for under/over 100g), 2 CDs 10.50 GBP, 3/4 CDs 14.50 GBP.
Economy Mail is also available but delivery times can take up to around 8+ weeks.
NOTE: Ebay now levy an extra 12-14+% charge on all postage amounts...so please realise the actual postage cost is: the actual cost of shipping + the ebay charge + other smaller costs such as petrol, cost of mailers etc where appropriate...
PAYMENT:
PERSONAL CHEQUES IN UK STERLING/ PAYPAL.
GRADINGS:
I DO TRY TO PLAY/TEST GRADE ALL THE LPs I SELL.
MINT:
RECORD: PERFECT...AS NEW CONDITION, SO NO DETEORIATION IN THE SOUND QUALITY…bear in mind that not all ‘new’ LPs are Mint because of the quality of the pressing etc...also SEALED/UNPLAYED LPs should be Mint.
COVER: AS NEW CONDITION WITH NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS.
M-: RECORD: SLIGHTY WORSE THAN Mint, LP may have the odd surface mark due to removal from its sleeve etc…but should have minimal noise and is still in great condition.
COVER: SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING HANDLED WITH THE ODD CREASE/TINY BIT OF WEAR or a Mint cover with a deletion/cutout hole or notch.
EX: RECORD: MOST REGUARLY PLAYED LPs KEPT WITH CARE FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY...LP may play with more hiss/slight crackle but not louder than the music.
COVER: SLIGHTLY MORE WEAR/CREASING/BENDING even some very slight ring wear...or may be a M or M- cover with a tiny split seam or a tiny sticker tear, but still nice.
EX-: Record & Cover a bit worse than EX, but better than VG+.
VG+: RECORD: LP PLAYS WITH MORE NOISE DUE TO EITHER DIRT OR STRONGER SURFACE MARKS BUT NO BAD MARKS/SCRATCHES and is STILL IS IN A VERY LISTENABLE CONDITION though starting to affect the music to some extent.
COVER: HAS QUITE A LOT OF CEASING/BENDING often with FADING/RING WEAR/ STICKER TEARS/TEARS...or may be an EX cover with a split seam(s).
NOTE: Any buyers looking for reasonably nice playing records should avoid anything below VG+.
VG: Not exactly ‘Very Good’, an often-misinterpreted grade, most VG records I’ve bought have some obvious defects affecting the record and/or cover. RECORD: THE SOUND QUALITY OF IS AFFECTED BY SURFACE MARKS/ LESSER AUDIBLE MARKS/SCRATCHES or DIRT etc...but still plays through and is still in quite a REASONABLE condition for playing, though obviously affecting the music to a greater extent.
COVER: PLENTY OF CREASING/BENDING/FADING/RING WEAR but still in one piece.
G: LP still plays through but is very noisy due to scratches/dirt etc....but still not totally trashed!
COVER: AS VG BUT TORN and starting to fall apart.
F/P: LP is trashed...for ornament purposes only.
PLEASE NOTE GRADING IS SUBJECTIVE AND EVERYONE CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION (for instance, some sellers don’t grade below VG). Myself, I think there should be an obvious difference between each grade.
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