Celéne formed in 2011 as a one man project but have grown into a full band. 'Forlorn Paradise' is their third full length album. Their sound is definitely rooted in black metal but the aggressive tones that lay under the surface of their songs are layered with atmospheric and melodic elements. Despite the lush music, which is often times both magical and emotional, the songs seemed more focused on the vocals. This isn't a bad thing but they are too loud in the mix and tend to overpower everything. The vocal styles are both blackened and clean but they are often mixed together, which adds muddy confusion to the songs. It doesn't ruin them but their sound is certainly messy and cluttered at times with the vocal layers.

With that being said, there is still much to enjoy here. These four songs live in a world that is both light and dark, soft and heavy. The album opens with 'Paradise,' and it has a long, clean and very beautiful intro.  The interplay between the instruments is very smooth and relaxed.  That relaxation turns much more harrowing around the two minute mark when the black metal riffs kick in, backed by both extreme and clean vocals. It is all very catchy but the song suffers the same problem as the rest of them:  it all blends together and just sort of seems to drone on.  The instrumentals are great, the singing is great but the song writing is just one big wall of sound that never really opens up enough to display all these dynamics.

The album is at its best when the vocals stop and the songs are allowed to breathe. 'Gray Skylines' does this well and it shines all the brighter for it. About a quarter way through the song, a very moving guitar solo backed by a clean landscape is the perfect example of what I'm talking about. 'Angina Pectoris,' is filled with intense blackened vocals and cleans with amazing inflection.  It works well with the backdrop of melancholic black metal and the little hints of doom.  About half way through the song takes a different path and slowly winds itself back up. "Shape Of Your Face In The Clouds,' takes a similar approach but is more riff oriented after the gorgeous lead guitar works its way through the song's middle.  This song is pretty strong and brings the album back full circle.

All in all, this certainly isn't a bad album but the mix/production leaves a lot of the magic buried within itself.   But it is still an enjoyable listen for anyone who wants the edgy darkness of black metal but still needs to see the sunny side up.