French Angellore call themselves atmospheric doom, yet I would rather describe them as melodic super eclectic doom. You can literally find half dozen genres and influences on their third full-length Rien ne devait mourir. It isn’t easy to process and accept the band when your first introduction to them has 3 out of 6 tracks in excess of 10 min on the album, and A Romance of Thorns presents a 20 min challenge from the very start. When listening to Rien ne devait mourir for the first time, and when A Romance of Thorns was going on and on without an end in sight, I even thought for a moment that the whole album will be a one single track. As winding and labyrinthine as A Romance of Thorns is, it serves a purpose of getting you ready for the Angellore experience, which is about letting it all go, appreciating their easy to float along melodies and atmosphere to lose yourself into completely.

From melodic doom to gothic metal to some folksiness in their sound, A Romance of Thorns, but also closer Que les lueurs se dispersant, is a journey on multiple tangents of how Angellore envisions their doom metal. Much more personal and warm than it is withdrawn and symphonic, if there is a speed up on A Romance of Thorns, Angellore is never deprived or brutal. This is a flow of sweet sadness instead, creamy, serene, a little naïve, and almost always tender. Closer Que les lueurs se dispersant is a similar palette, but probably even lighter still, almost percussive French chanson until the first not-so-heavy chord with a hint of distortion arrives at 4’30” in. Waltzing under autumn lights, visiting a church organ for a verse, rocking a little along the way with a tremolo folky melody, Que les lueurs se dispersant is even calmer and more introverted than A Romance of Thorns, barely metal at all.

To prove their varied super eclectic stance Angellore can be more traditional doom, and invoke their inner My Dying Bride on Drowned Divine, the violin sound completing that impression completely. The vocal styles are also widely varied on Rien ne devait mourir, and it is on Drowned Divine where heaviest, but not quite bottom of the barrel, male voice makes an appearance, although Angellore’s harsh vocals aren’t the most convincing and sound a little old and cackled. The clean spoken voice, quiet crooning on the male part make for a more organic fit, and female voice of Lucia often comes to the rescue, sometimes in the operatic fashion. She is a picture of tenderness, spreading her gentle weave around you, cocooning and lulling you into passive submission. Dreams (Along the Trail) is very much a folk tune, with its beat and flute intro, and even though it is full bodied with tremolo guitars, it is a lot dreamier float than Drowned Divine. Blood of Lavinia takes yet another turn and delivers gothic rock in Type O Negative, Crematorium, Beseech or Neue Deutsche Harte style. Sur les sentiers de lune is an instrumental atmospheric dissolution which vacillates between opera overture and quieter version of Flashdance … What A Feeling famous song melody.

An hour long, but very pleasant relaxing experience if you let it be, Rien ne devait mourir is a non-intrusive personal statement sharing sorrow, love, nature, beauty, moonlight and fading in ether with those willing to accept it.