REVIEW

Aythis is the solo project of Carline Van Roos, widely known as the vocalist for French dark doom metal bands Lethian Dreams and Remembrance. This release arrives as a double album, and the disc highlighted here, “Celestial Exile,” functions as a comprehensive overview of the musical worlds associated with Aythis. Building on the ethereal wave and dream pop direction explored on the previous release, the album also weaves in Aythis’s signature mystical neoclassical and darkwave elements, alongside atmospheric doom metal textures rooted in Van Roos’s work with Lethian Dreams.

Her voice—fragile, crystalline, and almost ice-bound—remains central throughout, drifting gently over guitars that fall like powdery snow and synths that seem wrapped in cold air. The overall effect suggests a soundscape that, when experienced with eyes closed, appears to transport the listener into a subzero, silver-hued expanse. It is music that feels especially vivid in winter, though one might reasonably suggest adequate warmth before immersion.

Among the standout tracks, “The Endless” (#1) carries forward the album’s ethereal wave lineage with grace and restraint, while “Moonsong” (#3) leans into a slower, heavier space where doom metal and post-rock converge, steeped in a glacial sense of sorrow. Together, they highlight the album’s ability to balance delicacy and weight without losing cohesion.

The companion disc, “Lost Lighthouse,” reinterprets the material through alternate arrangements, offering a contrasting perspective on the same core compositions. Taken together, the double album invites close comparison between its two halves and rewards attentive listening across both versions.

Aythis – “Lost Lighthouse” Review