This mini-album received quite a lot of praise since its release and in fact AENAON from Greece demonstrate a more than solid potential with their skill- and powerful interpretation of modern Norwegian extreme metal. Norwegian? Yes, the south European quintet (nowadays quartet) doesn’t hide its influences of post-anthem Emperor and the likes – but maybe within that detail is the devil…
Nothing extraordinarily bad can be written about this recording in a balanced review: okay, the production lacks some fundamental power and is not on the same quality level as the music, but all songs offer a nice collection of riffs, a strong rhythm section, graspable vokills and good arrangements, on top the fourth song “Navel” is a small hit with its catchy melody line and the combination of fierce and clean vocals. Without doubt a song strong like this would add some quality to most of the free magazine samplers, which means nothing else that AENAON are able to place themselves above “standard extreme metal” paradoxity.
I can only recommend to go further in that direction – and to take over the conceptual criticism on the own musical agenda. AENAON cite Democritus, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and in this context they state that “defying the knowledge that was offered to us by certain individuals, men chose to follow lies, created by jealousy”. That’s an idea which offers much room for exploration, hopefully as well in regard to the music, because if anything is yet missing, it’s something which makes “Phenomenon” really outstanding. With their debut the Greek have drawn a bow from the ancient philosophy on their local doorstep to nowadays metal, the question is how far and where they will shoot their arrows next time?
-Thor Joakimsson
VITALS:
Release: 2009
Label: Bleak Art Records
Avantgenre: State Of The Art Extreme Metal
Duration: 25:56
Origin: Greece
Official site: http://www.myspace.com/aenaonband
Review online since: 11.05.2010 / 08:30:07
| TRACKLIST:
01 – Et In Arcadia Ego |
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