| Souvenirs d'un autre monde | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Alcest |
| Cover: | Alcest-Souvenirs d'un autre monde.jpg |
| Released: | 8 August 2007 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 41:20 |
| Label: | Prophecy Productions |
| Producer: | Martin Koller |
| Prev Title: | Le secret |
| Prev Year: | 2005 |
| Next Title: | Alcest / Les Discrets |
| Next Year: | 2009 |
Souvenirs d'un autre monde is the debut studio album by French post-black metal band Alcest, released in 8 August 2007. The title refers to the meaning behind the music of Alcest, as its leader and songwriter, Neige, sees it as a journey through his memories of a distant world he has been in contact with.[1]
Although it is representative of future works, the album differs notably from Alcest's first EP Le Secret (2005), distancing from Alcest's original sound, and delving into a post-metal and shoegaze-influenced direction while mantaining black metal elements in the music. It is the last release in which Neige plays all instruments, as drummer Winterhalter joined him on subsequent releases.
Souvenirs d'un autre monde received generally positive reviews. Brian Way of AllMusic lauded the emotional aspect of the album, stating it expressed "yearning, nostalgia, triumph, and blissful peace, all without a single lyric in (discernible) English". Many reviewers noted the unique stylistic influences on the album, with Brad Angle of Revolver describing the album as "unexpectedly profound and affecting. Where many black metal records tunnel inward to the dark centers of their authors, Souvenirs d'un autre monde looks outward and upward, encouraging the listener to release its grasp on reality and float into the ether."
Kyle Ward of Sputnikmusic was less impressed with the album, writing that "The ideas presented in Souvenirs d'un autre monde are solid, and rather revolutionary for the genre, but the songwriting is so blatantly flawed that any hope of this fantastic idea coming to realization are swiftly carried away, never to return again."
In 2016, Pitchfork ranked the album at number 32 in its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time", saying: