Review: Brévine – Lhotse

Style: Post-metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Isis, Heretoir, Kauan
Country: Switzerland
Release date: 12 September 2025

A welcome part of writing for a site that spotlights lesser-known bands is the sheer number of debut albums we end up covering. About a third of my 2025 reviews have been of bands’ first LPs, before they’ve had a chance to build a following, and each time there’s an extra bit of intrigue in seeing what’s on offer. It’s no surprise that most debuts I’ve reviewed this year are pretty rough—not every band can release something as polished as Ancient Death’s Ego Dissolution—but regardless, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling shining a light on them (even if it’s a harsh one). 

So let’s turn that beam toward Lhotse, the debut album of Swiss post-metal band Brévine. I discovered the album through Instagram, of all places: Sgàile’s Tony Dunn gave the release a shout, and being a fan of his,¹ I figured he’d be a guy with good taste. Named after one of the world’s tallest mountains, Lhotse’s forty-one minutes consist of just four colossal tracks, providing a blend of soaring post-rock, weighty post-metal, and sections of shimmering blackgaze. It all sounds promising, but does this lofty debut ascend Brévine to a Himalayan height among 2025’s newcomers?

Despite Lhotse’s ambitious scope, it’s quickly apparent that Brévine aren’t afraid to rely on simple musical building blocks. “Cîme” begins with a minute of light ambience that gives way to a basic drum beat and rudimentary bass line—something you might write not long after learning how to play each instrument. But the combination is indisputably catchy and sets an effective foundation upon which the band can lay new textures and build atmosphere. “Ascension,” meanwhile, is carried by guitars that don’t provide much in the way of outright creativity, yet their varied dynamics and melodicism keep the track engaging, enhanced further by plenty of synth atmospherics. Even when Lhotse’s sound is at its most robust—take the ending of album-closer “Thalweg”—each layer is fairly simple. Brévine have the ear to make this work, offering ideas that are compelling enough on their own while also being exceedingly listenable and leaving room for development. The downside, though, is that this sets a high floor but relatively low ceiling, especially when the songs are long and could benefit from a few bolder compositional ideas.

Lhotse’s biggest strength is its thick atmosphere. Brévine capture both rawness and gentle warmth; a jagged mountain ridge and a cozy cave. The band’s sound is cohesive but not homogeneous, within and across songs. Standout track “Tempête,” for instance, moves fluidly from a dreamy Pink Floyd-like intro to a heavy, stormy midsection and a luminous, blackgaze ending. “Ascension” has some deep sonic heft, while “Thalweg” features an abundance of airy, almost triumphant post-rock. Each time Lhotse’s atmosphere shifts, it feels measured and natural—like navigating the changing conditions of a single mountain rather than venturing into a new range altogether.

However, the instrumental arrangements don’t always move as smoothly as the atmosphere. At times, the band shift into a new part that they haven’t quite built up to, resulting in some transitions being a bit too stark. Prime examples of this are how the verse of “Thalweg” jumps in after the subdued intro, and the same track’s outro being introduced by a somewhat random pick scrape. The clean vocals are also a slight sticking point: although they’re well placed and provide a nice complement to the harsh vocals, they often ring a little flat and tonally uninspired. A more emotive delivery would better fit music this expressive.

Lhotse may not quite be at the pinnacle of this year’s debuts, but it’s a strong first effort—the record is undeniably compelling in its atmosphere and eminently easy to enjoy on the whole. Brévine have the fundamentals down, and it’s not hard to imagine the band elevating their songwriting and climbing up the post-metal ranks. Their debut certainly shows a promising foundation. Until then, the trek up Lhotse has been perfectly pleasant, and I’ll be keeping an eye on Brévine as they set toward greater peaks.

Recommended tracks: Ascension, Tempête
You may also like: Sgàile, Obscure Sphinx, The Lotus Matter
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: These Hands Melt – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Brévine is:
– Matt Favrr (bass, vocals)
– Rayan Tengblad (guitars, backing vocals)
– Finn (drums)

1. Sgàile’s Traverse the Bealach was my 2024 album of the year. ↩︎