22.05.2025 Alcest

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

As empty as the huge Marquee tent sadly had been for Triptykon just before, the smaller Metal Dome was already packed early on for Alcest. The festival was rapidly approaching its end, but shortly before the finale, the French band offered a moment of calm with their atmospheric blackgaze sound.
The project led by vocalist and guitarist Stéphane “Neige” Paut and drummer Jean “Winterhalter” Deflandre has existed for an impressive 25 years, and live they are joined by guitarist Pierre “Zero” Corson and bassist Indria Saray. What was remarkable: all songs were performed entirely in French, something rather unusual in the metal world. The set drew mainly from their last two albums: "Les Chants De L’aurore" from the year 2024, which opened the show with “L’Envoie,” and "Spiritual Instinct" from the year 2019. A relaxed, almost serene atmosphere filled the stage and the crowd. The band worked through their set with minimal announcements and very little interaction with the audience, aside from the occasional brief “Merci.” The stage design evoked a hint of Egypt: clusters of reeds, metallic bird sculptures reminiscent of herons, and background visuals showing moons, suns, and calming landscapes. In several songs, you could still sense the influence of their early days, when they transitioned from black metal into this much more tranquil style. While hair occasionally flew on stage, the overall movement, both on and in front of it, remained very restrained.
All in all, Alcest were an unusual choice to close the final festival day in the Metal Dome. But I have to say: it was an excellent decision. Their performance felt like standing still and letting the music wrap around you, giving you a warm, comforting feeling. A wonderfully relaxing gig so close to the end. I hadn’t known the band beforehand, but I didn’t regret my decision to see them for a single second. A somewhat niche recommendation, but definitely a band worth checking out.