I've said it before and I'm going to say it again right now: Celeste is fucking amazing. If you are a lover of extreme music and you haven't yet downloaded their records FOR FREE, then you had better get yourself over to their site and download them right now.

And you know what? While you're there, send them a little bit of cash. I did. And I think you should too. I also ordered a shirt. I am a big fan of artists that just give away their work for nothing and I am happy to throw them a little bit to say thanks.

edit// Had to add this.

My favorite French blackened metal band, Celeste, continue their (s)ification of metal on their newest release, Morte(s) Nee(s). I don't have any thoughts yet since I am just now listening to it for the first time, but I do know that you should get yourself over to their site at denovali.com and download the album for free.

Legally.

Awesome metal for completely free? Awesome. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this band. Just do it.

I have never been a huge fan of Black Metal. There is something about it that has never appealed to me. It's not the culture surrounding it, but something about the style, the musical tropes they engage, the synths, the high pitched scream, whatever, that just has never appealed to me that much. I mean, I've listened to as much Emperor as the next guy, but I would not call myself a Black Metal aficionado. It's always a bit "meh" to me.

When I read a post on Metal Sucks in August about the band Celeste, my eyes immediately went to the phrase "Black Metal" in the article as I skimmed it. But I also saw that they had two albums available for free download, so I thought, Fuck it, right? How horrible could they be?

And holy living fuck am I glad I downloaded them. The "Black Metal" thing completely threw me off initially, but it's really only a faint Black tint in the music, not full bore Black Metal. I don't think French lyrics have ever sounded this awesome. Of course, I don't understand a word, but since when have I judged my enjoyment of metal music on whether or not I could understand the lyrics? The songs possess a savage intensity and rawness that seems to be lacking from so much modern Heavy Metal music. It's not a horrid mess of bad production, but it's also not super clean, super mastered, bland. There is fire and darkness in the music and they sound like no other band in my collection, high praise to be certain. In an age when so many genres and subgenres are basically interchangeable, to release a record with a sound that stands apart from the crowd is a significant achievement, one which Celeste has accomplished. They are one of the freshest bands I've heard since I encountered their fellow Frenchmen, Gojira.

Here are a few sample tracks.

Celeste - Misanthrope(s)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Celeste - Nihiliste(s)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

If you have any remaining reservations about how amazing this band is, do yourself a favor and just download the records. If you don't have reservations, you're probably downloading already.

Yes, I know. You're welcome.