Averon "An Echo From Beyond" CD

Recorded and mixed at Studio Soundcreation, Bollnas, Sweden in the summer 1998.

1999 Unisound Records 032 Epic progressive Doom Metal in the vein of Candlemass!!!

Averon were a short-lived act who made a contribution to the Swedish doom metal scene although said scene was almost non-existent in the mid-90’s as the focus over there was on the more intriguing, wider-appealing concoction of power, progressive and doom metal that grew exponentially, and produced a sizeable following for acts like Hexenhaus, Fifth Reason, Memory Garden, Memento Mori, Pathos, etc. Averon never fitted among those as their approach was strictly for the hard-core doom metal lovers.
Their debut was a massive blend of the more traditional approach of Pentagram and the more epic elegiac delivery of Candlemass. On the album reviewed here they continue the conquest of the genre in pretty much the same way by embedding more melodic undercurrents into the frame which naturally bend the album more towards the epic side. No complaints whatsoever as at the time Candlemass were experimenting with the doom metal palette either trying said mixture of styles (“Dactylus Glomerata”) or worshipping Black Sabbath (“3rd from the Sun”). Epic doom in Sweden was left in the hands of these youngsters and the female-fronted outfit Left Hand Solution.
The title-track starts the saga with heavy hammering riffs, haunting melodies, and cool clean mid-ranged vocals which don’t emit a lot of passion, but keep the proceedings flowing with an assured semi-attached timbre. “At the Bridge of Life” pounds its way without much ado save for a nice atmospheric balladism, and “Leave Me Alone” is the epitome of pure classic doom with the sorrowful aura, the beautiful melodic tunes, and the ship-sinking rhythms. “Searching for Euphoria” speeds up with dramatic more dynamic riffage, but never leaves the doomy parametres which acquire nearly funeral dimensions on the sinister “Concealed Suffering”. “Fading Away” is a nice atmospheric ballad with suitable keyboard support, its tender mercies cancelled by the stomping urgency of “Scream out of Anger”. ”The Journey” swings towards the trad doom arena, but the approach retains its melodic streak thanks to unobtrusive keyboards again the latter featured on at least half of the songs here. “Land of the Unknown” is vintage early Candlemass with the mournful chords and the insistent main motif, and “Into Eternity” is an intriguingly jumpy track with contrasting pacifying passages the symbiosis achieved one of the highlights here. “Pain” matches its title with the saddest melodic applications, a poignant semi-balladic number with great virtuous leads, and “The Last Day” is indeed the last piece offering more vivid rhythms which dissipate the instilled darkness with a covert shade of power metal hanging in the air, a more than welcome energizer giving a really cool belated boost to this exemplary doomy affair.
Doom metal never disappeared from the social consciousness; in fact, it was arguably the only classic style that never fell from grace during the 90’s, and the field kept churning high quality albums on a regular basis. Averon’s contribution to it came as a graceful epitaph to a decade that saw the genre experience quite a few peaks, the guys providing the logical conclusion to it. If this was their main agenda, then they accomplished it in the most successful manner imaginable, leaving tangible echoes of it that will continue reverberating in the underground for years on end.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...