Avant que l'ombre... (English: Before the Shadow) is the sixth studio album by French pop singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer, released on 4 April 2005, through the label Polydor. Lyrics were written by Mylene herself and production was supervised by Laurent Boutonnat. The albums' genres mainly consist of synth-pop, french-pop, gothic-pop, electronic and pop rock. The album deals with overt themes and lyrics of love, spirituality, faith, identity, self-reflection, and solitude.