Embrace of Thorns (formerly known as Requiem), also known as the band with some of the most ridiculous member nicknames (even though their band name is great) are a greek Death/Black Metal band from Athens. Celebrating their 20th anniversary next year, they released 4 full-lengths so far (the first one being released 8 years after their formation, which is a surprisingly long time), so yeah, they're not exactly rookies in the craft. Did they manage to create a distinct style and deliver a worthwhile album as their fourth effort?

If "Scorn Aesthetics" is anything to go by, the band tries to create a very evil sounding atmosphere, which they kind of succeed in, but that doesn't make for anything "distinct" or "worthwhile". Is there strong writing to make up for it? Not really. I liked that they weren't trying to create the heaviest shit ever, incorporating some light shades of melody into most songs' instrumental sections, but the riffs are bland, the bass is nothing special (and not particularly audible), the drumming is the only (kind of) saving grace of the compositions, it's fun to listen to and VERY effective, for the most part, but Mr. Maelstrom utilized blast beats too much. It's not that significant, but still kind of annoying. Now for the vocals, they would be tolerable, kind of okay if it weren't for the complete garbage mix. I get it guys, you want to sound "raw" and kvlt, but it's 2018, aren't bands tired of this already? I could say "Well, it can work sometimes", but I don't actually think that. I hate it when good, or at least not bad vocals sound like complete shit because they're mixed that way. Maybe it's your thing, personally, it's not my thing at all. I can dig raw production on instruments though, and this group definitely executed that well.

So yeah, this album is really forgettable, but worth at least one listen if you're a fan of the genre. I doubt it will be something you'll revisit later, but hey, whatever floats your boat.