Forming in the fall of 2013, the Greek Melodic Death Metal duo AETHERIAN released two singles over the past year before recording this 5 song EP. I'd actually consider this more of a 4 song plus intro product, as the opener "Whispers in the Wind" is a 1:58 instrumental set up for the proceedings at hand. Considering there are only two musicians, the ideas for this record are very well developed - Aggelos very willing to layer his guitar harmonies and rhythms in such a manner that you would think at least two or three separate musicians are creating and executing these ideas.

"As Seasons Pass" features acoustic guitars, whispering vocals, and a quieter mid-section while the electric portions possess a lot of qualities that bring the Scandinavian quality of the much missed BEFORE THE DAWN to the forefront. The follow up "For Those About to Fall" has a little bit darker spirit, Panos using his throaty growl to mirror the guitar lines, the speedy section out to thrash the audience to death - possible the best song on offer because of its doom to speed transfixion.

The title track again builds off of Aggelos' addictive, layered guitar harmony framework, the echoing verses just setting the aural landscape in such a way that you look forward to whatever will come next. This is the type of Melodic Death Metal that I remember getting excited about during the early IN FLAMES/ DARK TRANQUILLITY days. At 7:17 the final cut "Dreary Voices" opens in a quieter, sparse manner before the majestic riff and Doom/Death see-saw battle connects - another adventure awaits as there are so many areas to connect upon between melodies musically, harmonies, and the marching-oriented change up 2 minutes in.

I'd say AETHERIAN may not be independent for long based on the quality of this 28 minute product.

We can only hope that the band will choose to fill in the lineup gaps to be able to take AETHERIAN to the next level in terms of professionalism and establishing a live foothold.