this is... alright. i don't like it nearly as much as shards of silver fade, so i'm definitely going to be getting the latter. i just prefer the heavy, synth-driven atmosphere of that one, i guess.
update on these:
the ocean - man, i like this more than i expected to, actually. it's really comparable to east of the wall but still plenty different, piano for one, a lot more "soul" in the songs too, i guess. but yeah, this rules.
ne obliviscaris - while no one song on here is better than forget not, the overall quality of this is just a lot higher than Portal of I, and it's a lot more interesting. so many awesome moments in songs that flow quite impressively. tbh i think my favorite moment is when there's a huge guitar swell in Pyrrhic with sluggish bass and drums under it and then the guitar wall just suddenly drops out. i dunno why, but i love that moment.
baroness - jesus tapdancing christ this is interesting metal. i don't understand how anyone can compare these guys to mastodon, they make so much more interesting music. seriously though, so many great riffs, a strong instrumental focus, i adore this
alcest - i don't really know where this stands in comparison to ecailles de lune but both are damn beautiful records, that's all i know.
basically: damn, all four of these are awesome. i feel bad for the last three albums i have to spin, they have a high standard to live up to.