Band:	Aegirson
Album:	Sons Of Etheria
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	September 14, 2009
A review by:	Darkside Momo

01. Wistful
02. Stranger In Myself
03. Obscure Destiny
04. She's The One
05. Ruined Nation
06. From The Deep
07. Army Of The Deads
08. We Won't Be Their Slaves
09. Coeur Battant
10. Soiled
11. De Profundis
12. We Say Goodbye
13. L'inquisiteur [bonus]

Aegirson? At first, a name like this evokes the Nordic myth, and not some kind of extraterrestrial entity, as badly pictured on the cover of this album. But let's not judge the book by its cover, and delve a bit into this band that seems full of contradictions.

And we're presented with a strange beast indeed. This concept album features ethereal melodies, grunts and (relatively) harsh riffing, keyboards with a thin, 'futuristic' sounding, proggy elements, and an overall power metal feel.
Duh? Yes, it's pretty hard to describe. I could make a resume like 'dark power metal with grunts' but that wouldn't sum it all.

Anyway, on with the music. And we start to encounter problems. The vocals are average, as the grunts lack power (maybe this is because of the production? but let's address this later). I really think the power metal vocals, as there are some too, fit better on the music (as on Ruined Nation), even with their flaws. The riffing is on the whole nice, even good (Stranger In Myself); the keyboards are on the whole well used.
The songwriting is? Well, it is a kind of it-or-miss affair. Sometimes it's great (We Won't Be Their Slaves, De Profundis), and at other it feels a little forced, lacking energy. But that's nothing compared to that horrendous power ballad sung in French called Coeur Battant. It's a really lame attempt at modern sugary pop-rock stuff, that sticks out of the album like a sore thumb. I suppose it has its roots in the story, but if it feels too awkward, it ain't good in a storytelling point of view.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the production? Why the hell does this album has such a bad sound? I don't really know who's to blame, but it's a shame really. It's pretty obvious the band put a lot of work in their keyboards, orchestrations, and mood, but due to the bad sound, it doesn't shine through as much as it should? The vocals feel apathic, the sound is thin and muddy, and the keys are cheesy more often not. Hey, seriously, in this day and age, some demos do sound better than this.

To conclude, this strange hodgepodge might actually work, as there's so good stuff in there (I liked the drive behind Stranger In Myself), but it's a bit awkward, as it definitively lacks something. More female vocals? Real proggy parts? I don't know.
All this said, this band might actually come up with something good, as there are some hints of greatness here and there. It'll 'just' take a lot of work? And a real good sound.