Self-Titled
Sons of Aeon
•
January 7, 2013
Every now and then, an amazing indie Death Metal band surfaces from its underground roots with a killer album and breaks the boundaries of novelty, establishing a reputation of reverence. GOJIRA, with their 2012 release, "L'Enfant Sauvage", was one such band whose work was hailed throughout the Metal community for achieving the groundbreaking feat of fusing blissfully technical Death Metal with easy-to-listen commercial appeal. It is rare to find such bands, but I believe that another star is on the rising.
SONS OF AEON, through label Lifeforce Records, have come up with a gem. Their self-titled release was quite the experience for me, with its relentless drums and inexorable guitar work that pulled the entire album together under a roof of insane Death Metal riffing and pure, brutal vocal work. However, despite all that, "Sons Of Aeon" is still the kind of album I would let "Metal-virgin" listen to, with no qualms about how he or she might react.
Faceless, the opening track, begins with a blistering two and a half minutes of music, with the searing vocals coming in only after. This songis proof of the band's talent in lining up their tracks. "Faceless" was the perfect opener, with its immense sound and atmosphere of evil. It's the kind of track that convinces you to listen to the rest of the album.
Track after track demonstrated the band's consistency in producing heavy, snarling riffs. SONS OF AEON make it a point to open every single track with some kind of impressive, impression-filled impaling of the eardrums. The production is simple but very effective with the guitars in particular culminating with its thick, deep sound. Despite the overall heaviness of tone, each song flows mellifluously, like a river of hate dumping its delta in the Ocean of Metal.
I know, a weird metaphor. But this record will do that to you. It will make you think in images because of how impressively stylistic the music is. The soaring refrains and chugging hooks come together in a metaphysical, surreal way in the mind, throwing listeners into the realm of "Just Letting Go".
I was delighted to listen to "The Centre", with its very surprising acoustic intro. After minutes of bashing my eardrums SONS OF AEON decided to reveal their contemplative nature with their very real portrayal of human emotion. The track may offend some purists who will liken it something off an Alternative Rock or Christian Metal album, but the sheer complexity of emotions it managed to awaken in me with its hopeful sound convinced me that this track should not be overlooked or categorized-it just is, and it's great.
"Havoc & Catharsis" cleverly reverted back to brutality directly after the sentimental session that was "The Centre".This song is, to say it simply and to say the least, badass. Especially towards the end. I won't spoil much here because the ending was something I did not really see coming, and that may have been the clincher technique that so impressed me.
The album does have a bump or two. "Weakness" threw me off just a little bit with its overly long bridge and the slow parts of the song did not do anything for me emotionally. However, it must be said that the band did succeed in carrying their message through as I definitely was able to imagine a protagonist plagued by weakness and hopelessness.
SONS OF AEON'smusic for some reason reminds me of LAMB OF GOD'swork, with vocalist Tony Kaikkonen's brutal, heavy screams drawing a parallel with that of vocalist Randy Blythe's unrelenting voice. All in all, this is a spectacular album. I hope the band gets the breakthrough and coverage they deserve, and would unfailingly recommend this album to Metalheads of all subgenre out there.
9 / 10
Almost Perfect
"Self-Titled" Track-listing:
1. Faceless
2. Cold Waves
3. Burden
4. Enemy of the Souls
5. The Centre
6. Havoc & Catharsis
7. Weakness
8. Seeds of Destruction
9. Wolf Eyes
10. Black Sheep Process
Sons of Aeon Lineup:
Tony Kaikkonen - Vocals
Tapio Vatrtianen - Guitar
Wille Naukkarinen - Guitar
Tommi Kiyiniemi - Bass
Pasi Pasanen - Drums
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