{"id":8537,"date":"2015-10-08T15:21:22","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T22:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=8537"},"modified":"2015-10-09T06:08:59","modified_gmt":"2015-10-09T13:08:59","slug":"alcest-hypnotizes-the-regent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2015\/10\/08\/alcest-hypnotizes-the-regent\/","title":{"rendered":"Alcest Hypnotizes The Regent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review by Andrew Bansal, Alcest & Emma Ruth Rundle live photos by Karina Diane & videos by Matt Nielson<\/strong><\/p>\n

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October 7th 2015, The Regent, Los Angeles CA: <\/strong>French atmospheric rock\/post-metal group Alcest are currently on a North American headline tour, performing material from their latest full-length release ‘Shelter’ as well as bringing forth a slab of their 15-year musical journey through varying styles. In addition, they are presenting Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle as the touring support act. The tour arrived at the Regent in downtown LA for a gig last Wednesday October 7th 2015. Over the years, Alcest have polarized fans with some of their stylistic shifts but there is still a sizable legion of followers that appreciate all facets of Alcest’s musicianship, and the band’s LA fans turned up in good numbers for what turned out to be a spellbinding evening.<\/p>\n

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Black Mare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Doors opened at 8, and at 8:45, Los Angeles-based ambient\/doom quartet Black Mare<\/a><\/strong> took the stage as the local opening act. Featuring Sera Timms and J. Bennett from Ides Of Gemini, Bryan Tulao from Black Math Horseman and Andrew Clinco from Marriages, Black Mare is an underground supergroup that derives from the elements of its members’ main musical projects but relies more on its ambient tendencies. With singer Sera Timms engulfed in fog for the most part, Black Mare’s dark, dreamy, atmosphere-inducing sound resonated around the Regent to serve as an ideal precursor for the touring acts to follow.<\/p>\n

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Emma Ruth Rundle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shortly after, Emma Ruth Rundle<\/a><\/strong>, clad in an elegant black dress, took the stage and through a simple and minimal setup of a microphone, guitar and pedalboard, she successfully held the entire room captive with a tender singing voice and melancholic guitar play. While she tuned her guitar between songs, she filled silences with ambient loops and samples. ‘Shadows Of My Name’ off of her 2014 full-length Sargent House Records release ‘Some Heavy Ocean’ is one of the simplest yet most captivating musical compositions I have come across in recent years, and it was also the highlight of this set as Emma Ruth Rundle strummed on the guitar with added intensity and vocally broke out of the tenderness to hit soaring highs. Another notable segment of her set was when she was joined by Alcest frontman Neige, as he walked onto the stage with no prior announcement or introduction by her, and garnered a huge cheer from a pleasantly surprised audience as a result.<\/p>\n

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Emma Ruth Rundle with Neige (Alcest)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Emma Ruth Rundle’s music is not hard rock or heavy metal, and many, including the artist, might wonder why she is being written about on this site, but there is no denying that her dark, melancholic musical expression is akin to that of some variants of heavy metal, and is more engaging and powerful than a lot of things that do get categorized as metal. Fans of latter-years Alcest, and the post\/atmospheric\/ambient\/progressive rock realm in general, would find Emma Ruth Rundle’s artistry worthwhile, and ticket holders of the remaining shows on this tour are strongly encouraged to turn up early enough to watch her set.<\/p>\n

Video footage of Emma Ruth Rundle performing with Neige of Alcest at this show:<\/strong><\/p>\n