Misanthrope(s)

About

Celeste explicitly called themselves misanthropes with this record. The disgust for everything human in their music is palpable. Celeste hate humanity and themselves for being one of them. Self-hating misanthropes and chronic pessimists who believe in nothing. The cover is a close-up of a religious statue (possibly the virgin Mary). She appears to be in pleasure or lamenting (or both). It was their first album to feature their recurrent use of an upside down cross (made out of written text) as some kind of 'symbol'. There is also a regular cross in use as part of the artwork. It is their second longest record, after the double album Animale(s). It is also their slowest and sludgier record. Still managing to showcase prominent black metal and screamo elements, as expected. Still brimming with dissonance to its condensed core. Do not mistake the 'calmer' moments for respire, they are just tension right before the unbridled chaos. The bass rumbles along the confusion in all its glorious low-end. The drumming is loud and imposing. Johan’s vocals never sounded so spiteful and hateful, just violently vomiting forth utter contempt and undissolved despise. The guitar tone is heavier than 666 tonnes of osmium. Does variety even mean anything to this band? It does not need to mean anything to them. The only word in their vocabulary is 'extreme'. Celeste simply exist out of spite towards anything human.

via Last.fm