Forming in August of 2009, this Santa Cruz, California band SON OF AURELIUS perform in a Technical Death Metal genre that has a lot of competitors and difficulty separating each band because brilliant, intense ability on one's instrument does not often translate into hooky, memorable songwriting. Their debut album "The Farthest Reaches" came out a year later on Good Fight Music, and in the interim the band would part ways with said label and decide to release the follow up "Under a Western Sun" on their own basis.

Clocking in at 72 minutes, the 15 tracks for this second full length exemplify the correct outlook in delivering moving Progressive, slightly Technical Death Metal through the art of propulsion, killer instrumentation, and brilliant jaw dropping time signature maneuvers- while never forgetting to add street level emotion and melodic parts be it vocally or musically. Guitarist Cary Geare layers the riffing and harmonies in a way that may have Swedish IN FLAMES or DARK TRANQUILLITY inspiration, but then I hear alternative elements that bring the mighty Texas act FAIR TO MIDLAND to mind. At other times a lot of the stair step shuffling of rhythms and tempos has roots in early DREAM THEATER - check out the main riff for "The Weary Wheel" or the cleaner shape shifting "Clouded Panes" for some mesmerizing accents, transitions, and mood changes that keep you on the edge of your seat, ears perked up for the next burst of aural excitement.

As a vocalist Riley McShane has a multi-pronged clean/ harsh approach - slightly alternative and hypnotic during songs like "Chorus of the Earth" and the softer "Blinding Light", while bursting blood vessels on the culturally charged "A Great Liberation" or steamroller "Long Ago" (the latter featuring some of his best clean lines as well during the bridge/chorus). What makes SON OF AURELIUS so special is their ability to throw in the freaky bass break, the sudden time signature change, and never lose course on keeping their songwriting hook-oriented - there's just so much material to dig deeply into, that makes "Under a Western Sun" breathtaking and awe inspiring time and time again.

I can see this band making a huge impact on all sides of the globe, and with a wide cross section of underground metal and crossover audiences. Let's hope album number three doesn't take four more years to hit the streets- but if it does, there is enough on this record to keep me more than satisfied.