Formed in 2005, Celeste remain an important part of France’s avant-metal firmament. On this seventh record, the band embrace the staccato chunk of their hardcore roots while experimenting with style and structure. Their melding of black/post/sludge with an increasing melodic sensibility makes for a multi-faceted approach. Des Torrents De Coups is a slow-burn black metal-inspired intro that bleeds into the bombastic chug of De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés. The sonorous post-metal of Elle Se Répète Froidement is fraught with baleful recrimination, building to multi-faceted, eight-minute closer Le Coeur Noir Charbon. Compelling by virtue of its unpredictability, Assassine(s) has allowed each musician to explore individual freedom of expression in their pandemic isolation. The result exceeds the sum of its parts.
Assassine(s) is out now via Nuclear Blast
