The trance-rock/post-metal band, Year of No Light, hails from Bordeaux, France, where it was formed in the summer of 2001, and then slowly fermented both on-stage and in rehearsal before recording its first demo tape in 2004. This earned the group a reputation for sounding like "The Cure playing sludge," and opened the door for bandmembers Julien Perez (vocals, keyboards), Pierre Anouilh (guitar), Jérôme Alban (guitar, keyboards) Johan Sebenne (bass, electronics), Bertrand Sebenne (drums, keyboards), and Mathieu Mégemont (drums, electronics) to record Year of No Light's debut album, Nord, in 2006. But after parting ways with Perez and luring Monarch!'s Shiran Kaidine (vocals, guitar) to replace him, Year of No Light spent the next few years performing live or collaborating with other bands on split releases, and it wasn't until 2010 that they cobbled together their second album, Ausserwelt, to the delight of fans and even critics. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia