Aenaon - Cendres Et Sang - review
Aenaon - Cendres Et Sang - review
Tracklist
01. Kafkaesque02. Suncord
03. Psychonautic Odyssey
04. Grand Narcotic Harvest [feat. V'gandr]
05. Once Finite
06. Carnivora's Lair
07. Necroscope
08. Kraanerg
09. Black Nerve
10. In Heaven [David Lynch cover] [feat. Thomais]
A review by
KwonVerge June 25, 2011
The saxophone during the intro ("Kafkaesque" - what a nice title) lends some hints n' tips of what will follow and "Suncord" which holds a Ved Buens Ende accent concurs. The soundscape becomes clearer and a maelstrom of ideas is about to unfold in front of your very... ears. We're dealing with a work that's paying its small tribute to aspects of more traditional black metal and at the same time pins the term "traditional" on the wall until it bleeds experimentation. Apart from Ved Buens Ende you will witness some references to Dødheimsgard, Satyricon and Shining to name a few that come to mind at the moment. Of course it's not only about influences, it's also about ideas and inspiration, it's all about respect and self-expression and Aenaon succeed in it. Order and disorder forge an ill-natured alliance that holds its basis in black metal with three neurons that transmit jazzy, some sort of mechanical vibe and avant-garde (the Norwegian way) signals equally.
Everyone involved in this recording plays an important role and it's quite distinctive, from the band members to the guest musicians (V'gandr of Aeternus and Helheim, Thomais Chatzigianni of Dakrya etc). The guitar work is fabulous; sliding melodies, razor-sharp or maneuvering riffing with a strength of its own, even some beautiful soloing ideas (you have to love the way "Black Nerve" opens) among a wide variety of ways of expression that enrich the soundscape. There's definitely something odd and welcome at the same time within some effects in the guitars and in general, mental euphoria, dissonance and a variety of conditions/emotions come to the surface. The vocals are vibrant, they lend their own pulse in the compositions. Astrous' throat is a coal mine, ranging from edgy and sharp husky grunts to ecstatic boiling (un)clean singing that entrances the atmosphere. Last but not least, the rhythm section is dynamic, non-verbose but with interesting key signatures and the most important thing is, it's omnipresent and not buried, after all the spot-on production is complimenting the album.
The album couldn't just reach the end with an outro or any other composition. The In Heaven cover (from David Lynch's Eraserhead soundtrack) is of extraterrestrial beauty, the more i listen to it the better it gets. Emotionally pompous piano melodies and a magnificent interpretation from Thomais in a Gitane Demone meets Mary (Mary And The Boy) delirium from a daydream nightmare that comes to life when the band emerges to make the overall ambiance even more suffocating. Had I been David Lynch, I'd work on an abstract video clip with Aenaon.
Anyway, debuts like Cendres Et Sang make this world a better place to live in, as for me, I'm already waiting for their second attempt.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments
Comments:
11
Visited by
340 users
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Posts: 711  |
Posts: 711
Good review. i completely agree. I've been listening to this for a while now and it never disappoints.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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Posts: 6  |
Posts: 6
Yes, yes!! Finally people will learn this band thanks to metal storm. They are amazing; just check their older stuff and mostly their last split. Greece has many great bands nad especially in black metal. Check as many as you can you will be pleased.
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Posts: 4774
You always make it sound like Greece has an amazing scene filled with creativity and talent. Checking it out nonetheless (=
---- loves 小巫
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Posts: 5068 Written by Ag Fox on 25.06.2011 at 23:25 I don't review the whole greek scene, i review some bands that happen to come from greece  In the end, i've only reviewed 16 bands from greece
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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Posts: 702  |
Posts: 702
I enjoyed this one... not you normal boring fare. Powerful, melodic, varied, inventive.
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 Posts: 6941 |
Posts: 6941
Thanks for reviewing this. I'm finally listening now and feel like I've found yet another gem for 2011  You're so right about how it seems to oscillate back and forth between more traditional black metal and a very avant-garde nature. I love when it blends.
---- "A life all mine Is what I choose At the end of my days" --The Gathering "A Life All Mine" from Souvenirs
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Posts: 5068 Written by Susan on 15.08.2011 at 17:26 Thanks for the comment! I love this blending too, it's probably one of my fav types of music, alongside the so called orthodox black metal 
---- Dec. 30, 1334. ...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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 Posts: 2796 |
Posts: 2796
Shining did not deliver , those guys did  great review man
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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Posts: 444  |
Posts: 444
This is a fantastic record, and as mentioned highly original and inventive. Great review.
---- "Randy Rhoads, although being a wonderful guitar player, could not play Asteroids for shit." - Lemmy Kilmister
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