Aeon, Aeons Black
A death metal band hailing from Sweden that’s not spewing out Swedish death metal?! To quote The Simpsons’ Ralph Wiggum, “That’s unpossible.” It’s a fact, though. The dudes in Aeon are slinging some seriously pummeling death metal straight out of the nastiest of Floridian swamps. And I’m diggin the punishing groove that infects Aeons Black, the band’s fourth full-length effort.
The blistering “Still They Pray” kicks off 50 minutes of straight-forward death metal in the vein of, say, Deicide or the non-Floridians of Cannibal Corpse, as well as modern day peers like Hail of Bullets. Now, that’s not to say the 15 tracks (four of which are short instrumentals) on Aeons Black are rip-offs of those two bands or that each track sounds exactly the same as the previous — they aren’t. What we’ve got here may be heavily influenced, but we’re also being presented with some of the most mature and structurally varied material in Aeon’s career.
Huge riffs and pummeling rhythms are thoroughly emphasized with a fairly clean and modern production, giving the album the heft and power of heavyweight boxer. What I mean, is this album hits hard and often. “I Wish You Death” is catchy as fuck and will have spinal columns contorted in record time. It’s a song you can certainly growl along with. “Garden of Sin” has one of the catchiest moments on the album as the chorus hits with head-snapping rhythms and sick lead work. It’s easily one of my favorite songs on the disc.
Latter half moments like the absolutely crushing combination of “Dead Means Dead” and “Sacrificed” certainly show that there’s no let down after the opening salvo of impressive tracks. The title track also packs a whallop with beefy riffs and bass-heavy mosh. Album closer, “Die By My Hands” is chock full of bruising rhythms, melodic leads and more than enough groove to keep your head nodding even after nearly 50 minutes of being barraged by these Swedes.
When all is said and done, Aeons Black may not be pushing the boundaries of death metal, but sho really gives a fuck. The music on this album is infectious, engaging and just fun as hell to listen to — and that’s all we really need out of a band. At least it’s enough for me to throw some horns in the air and get the ice pack ready for a sore neck about half way through Aeon’s latest full-length.