I commonly see the “blackgaze” and “post-black” genre labels used interchangeably. Though they are, in fact, distinct from one another, I could understand the confusion if Cløudy Skies were a listener’s first exposure. On their sophomore record, Bury Me Beneath the Stars, this French duo seeks to blend hazy shoegaze with seismic post-metal (and sparing elements of black metal). The promise of this type of light and heavy fusion is always enticing enough to get me through the door, but the right mood-setting needs to happen for me to want to stay there. How is this week’s weather forecast looking?
The title of the opening track, “Fluffy Darkness,” is a pretty good summation of how the entire album sounds. The overarching climate is morose but decidedly unthreatening. Nicolas Simon’s guitar tones adopt the twinkling tones one can expect of blackgaze acts such as Falaise or Together to the Stars, often releasing torrents of reverb to shower the listener with suffocating walls of sound. Lionel Forest handles the vocals, alternating between drab, dreary singing and anguished rasps and roars. The combined effect of this gazey post-metal reminds me a lot of Junius, albeit with less defined and more shapeless melodies that I struggle to recall after numerous plays.
As expected from such an atmospheric album, much hinges on mood setting. Unfortunately, Cløudy Skies often create multiple conflicting moods. The problem stems from the heavier sections when the post-metal growls and thunderous drum beats are layered atop the exact same gossamer guitar lines as in the serene shoegaze parts. It probably would have been better if the guitar lines followed the rest of the music into the post-metal realm. The vocals themselves are also pretty problematic on their own. It’s as if the harshes try too hard to be expressive, and the cleans barely try at all. The two styles sound weaker when they’re double-tracked together (“Depth Spell,” “Bury Me Beneath the Stars”). Their shortcomings are even more stark in “Birdsong,” which is a cappella save for a few background synths, making for a thoroughly unpleasant track. Essentially, the vocals wield a multi-pronged attack that doesn’t win on any front.
Ironically, I most enjoy the moments when stray rays of sunlight break through the clouds. This most often occurs during the tranquil, introspective moments, like the beginning of “Bury Me Beneath the Stars” or the midsection of “Depth Spell.” The heftier riffs in the intro of “Lights of the Night” are also promising, though they soon fizzle out. But even during these times, the notes swirl without coalescing into anything substantial. The biggest bright spot is the drumming, courtesy of Conny Pettersson (Anata), whose engaging rhythms and fills do their best to anchor the wispy, dreamlike music. But rarely can a drum performance carry lackluster songwriting on its own. Bloat is also a minor issue, as most of the tracks are in the 7 to 10-minute range, but, in this case, there isn’t much that would be noteworthy even if they were half as long.
Bury Me Beneath the Stars is the type of music that depends on making the listener feel something, but what it makes me feel is a double whammy of boredom and confusion. There are some promising things going on instrumentally that could be developed further, but the vocals tend to chase away the fleeting reveries that Cløudy Skies manage to formulate. This is disappointing because I am incredibly predisposed to like this kind of music. I hope that in the future the two halves of Cløudy Skies can find a way to mix together more harmoniously. For now, it’s time for me to turn it over to ClarkKent for the aerial traffic report.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Argonauta Records
Websites: cloudyskies.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/cloudyskies.fr
Releases Worldwide: October 16th, 2026
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