Note: The album also features Pliades (the traditional choir from Ipiros), DAEMONIA NYMPHE and DIRTY GRANNY TALES.

Whoa! It has already been three years since "Theogonia" was released, huh? The Greek Black Metal legion toured and straight after that isolated itself in the studio for one year to craft this lethal weapon entitled simple "Aealo", which is the transcription of an ancient Greek word into the Latin alphabet. It means thrashing, catastrophe or destruction, three words that in my humble opinion perfectly describe the band's brand new album (in a good way of course)!

I guess that there is not need to say many things about ROTTING CHRIST, since these are the guys that drove my country's Meal to the international scene. They have been active for more than 20 years carrying classic releases like "Thy Mighty Contract" (1993), "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" (1996) and "Sleep Of The Angels" (1999) just to name a few. The band never relaxed to taste its success but it always was a non stop quality Metal producing machine that changed its sound based on its members' (mostly Sakis who is the leader since the beginning) feelings and anticipation at that time...

From brutal and raw music, to melodic Black Metal and even Goth influences, ROTTING CHRIST lately embraced their country's tradition and started using musical and lyrical themes from their culture. Thus, from the mythological concept of "Theogonia" we reach "Aealo" with its traditional Greek music elements originating mostly from Ipiros, central western Greece. The album kicks in with "Aealo", where Pliades are accompanied by Themis' blasts.

With an atmosphere similar to the one "Theogonia" had, ROTTING CHRIST continue to rape your ears with "Eon Aenaos" with some beautiful melodies and "Demonon Vrosis" with an epic narration and its catchy guitar leads. "Noctis Era", the first song that was released over the internet is a more mid tempo track that showed the fans that the new album would be nothing less than amazing. "Dub-Sag-Ta-Ke" is a faster and more aggressive song, more like the classic Black Metal ROTTING CHRIST write, with Fire Death And Fear" being a kind of groovy song. "Nekron Iahes..." is once again the choir's turn to send shivers down your spine and it works also as an intro for "...Pir Threontai", a song that will make your head go up and down from the beginning to the end. "Thou Art Lord" needs no comments, since its title alone is representative of what you are going to face. "Santa Muerte" is one more fast and aggressive song with blasts and killer leads. And as it seems, they saved their most haunting "song" for last, since the Greek legion decided to cover in their own unique way Diamanda Galas' "Orders From The Dead", a composition that deals with the continuous genocides against the Greeks and the Armenians. ROTTING CHRIST "dressed" Diamanda's monologue filled with curses with a majestic music that makes the whole concept even more haunting...

I think I already said enough and I guess such an album can't be described in words. You have to listen to it many times to understand its hidden beauties and get lost into its world. Thumbs up for the amazing artwork, too, that fits like a glove to the musical & lyrical concept of the album. Once again, these guys make us proud, the true ambassadors of Greek Metal!
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