Review Summary: Raw, filthy and down-right nasty, you've just gotta love it.
Celeste are a ***ing heavy band. Whatever genre you put them in, post-hardcore, screamo, metal, their atmosphere is completely and utterly choking, almost unbearably so, the sound is dirty and raw and the vocals are raging and spat out with aggression. It's not about being fast, it's about being gruelling, utterly relentless and enraged. After listening to Celeste for the fifty minutes that 'Misanthrope(s)' lasts, you'll probably have choked to death on its gory and insipid atmosphere, and you know what? Celeste will love it, they'll watch you choke and just plod along to the next victim. You can tell that Celeste just love being dirty.
If you hadn't guessed already, Misanthrope(s) is anything but an accessible album. It might take you several listens to really soak in the disgusting and corrosive music that they play, but once you have, there's almost a filthy level of enjoyment you can get out of the release. While song's often linger around mid-tempo, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had from the varied riffs of the guitarists, who can spit out dense and metallic riffs, or pound forward with hardcore style aggression. The vocals are literally spat out with intensity, sitting somewhere between a a black metal rasp and a more typical hardcore roar, the fact that everything is french only adds to the mystery of the release.
As an entity, Misanthrope(s) is as dense and malicious as albums come. Post-hardcore and black metal aren't usually two genres that you'd imagine together, but between the varied riffs and raspy screamed vocals there is something here that comes close and its nastier than you'd ever imagine. For the light hearted, it might be just a little too much, Celeste simply refuse to let up throughout the near hour long length of Misanthrope(s), but for those who enjoy it rough, raw and dirty then this is definitely something you should at least taste. Just don't come crying to me if that taste is sour.
