Blackgaze is a fusion genre, the combination of black metal(which includes shrieking vocals, fast tempos, heavily distorted guitars and an emphasis on atmosphere) and shoegazing(delicate mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and overwhelming volume). The word is a blend of the mentioned genres. It can be defined as a mixture of the hardcore instrumentation of black metal with the mellower, more dreamy soundscapes of shoegaze.
The genre was primarily influenced by atmospheric black metal bands like Ulver, and pioneered by French musician Neige in around 2004 through the projects Alcest, Amesoeurs and Lantlôs. Alcest’s ‘Le Secret’ is termed by many as “the birth of blackgaze”. It really developed through the band by their debut album Souvenirs D’Un Autre Monde, released in 2007. Alcest has since released several albums like Les Voyages de l’âme, Shelter, Kodama and Spiritual Instinct, with Neige describing the sounds delivered in an ‘angelic cod’ and a ‘raw, distant shriek’. Alcest has risen to prominence not only in blackgaze, but metal folklore.
American band Deafheaven are also credited for promoting the genre with their success. The Guardian even termed them as ‘Blackgaze’s de facto poster boys’, describing their second album ‘Sunbather’ as pivotal to blackgaze. Deafheaven’s vocalist George Clarke himself cites the work of Alcest as the bands blueprint for their musical inspiration and direction.
With the blackgaze gaining more and more hardcore fans by the day though bands like Agalloch, Alcest, Altar of Plagues, Deafheaven, Ghost Bath, Liturgy, Oathbreaker and Wolves in the Throne Room the genre is just warming up.
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