Cassette edition limited to 100 pieces. Track 8 is cassette edition exclusive bonus track (A.Vivaldi cover version).
After four years of waiting, Aeon Winds are back with their new album Night Sky Illuminations. Their third full-length studio album, it follows up the themes the band dealt with in their previous album Stormveiled (2019) and the EP Extinguishing the Light (2022).
The mythological legacy of pre-Christian times intertwines with the mystical fascination of Carpathian sceneries and blends into seven long, hymnic and powerful songs.
Recorded, mastered and produced at Tryzna Studio, Aeon Winds new studio album features a painting by Russian digital illustrator Yaroslav Gerzhedovich, and will be released on CD, LP and cassette.
After four years of waiting, Slovak atmospheric black metallers Aeon Winds are back with their new album Night Sky Illuminations. Their third full-length studio album, it follows up the themes the band dealt with in their previous album Stormveiled (2019) and the EP Extinguishing the Light (2022)
When it comes to the local black metal Slovakia is up there with some of the world’s finest. While maybe not yet as popular as other regions the artists from this region keep gaining respect. Malokarpatan, Stangarigel, Krolok or Krajiny Hmly are a few examples who released some top-notch stuff within the last years. One band that should also be mentioned among the spearhead figures and prime examples are Aeon Winds. They have been active since 2007 with Svarthen being the only remaining founding member. Their 2019 full length “Stormveiled” was a great piece of atmospheric music and their newest and third album “Night Sky Illuminations” follows the same path further. Once again, they have teamed up with Avantgarde music who are always a great place to look for this kind of very immersive black metal for the CD version while Hexencave made sure that tape collectors do not need to miss out on this impressive work of art.
With a playing time of more than 50 minutes split over seven tracks there is once again a lot of material to digest. Aeon Winds are a band who take their time to carefully craft their songs and while some of them are pretty lengthy they easily avoid the trap of getting lost. They stay focused and make sure that each cut should be seen as an integral part of the album in its entirety. Every section has its meaning, and the flow might be better than ever before. Like most of their fellow countrymen their brand of black metal is a very atmospheric one and while you will find a lot of mellow passages and ambient details a dark feeling is looming in the background. Most Slovakian bands are masters in creating this kind of mood somewhere between epic moments and a subtly unsettling scenery and Aeon Winds are at the top of their game here.
The title track starts the journey gently, but then develops into a riff-fest that irrepressibly lashes forward. Flickering and playful solos by Svarthen loosen up the song and increase your appetite of what is still to come. What Aeon Winds practice with ease is playing music which is melodic and quite accessible without sacrificing their roots. It remains highly enjoyable throughout, but in equal parts this is a true and traditional black metal record. They play a somehow dramatic and partially symphonic brand of black metal, without sacrificing the power of the riffs and the harsh coldness that the genre asks for. They have all the meat and potatoes of throat-searing, wretched vocals, pummeling riffs and wild drumming going on, but manage to build up a great atmosphere by using the guitar lines as well as other effects in the right way. Aeon Winds move at various speeds, often with explosive outbursts of raging tremolos followed by laid-back and more ambient sections, but always in a very stringent and fitting way. At the same time, their music does never cross the line into commercial superficiality. The dark aura is suggestive and the sounds, always filled to the brim with intense mood, are served with a certain venom. The band's compositions are usually multi-layered constructions, there is room for both metallic noise and atmospheric calm, a perfect example of which is the longest track here, “Blazing Monuments”, which combines all the trademark strengths of this unique combo. The band also proves that very simple motifs can be extremely captivating and hold the listener's attention if done in the right way.
The cover perfectly expresses the atmosphere of the album - gloomy, wistful, in a mystical and cloudy aura. It's not for fans of over-the-top tremolo attacks and non-stop blasting, but also not for anyone son the search for purely sugary and melodic stuff. In most ways “Night Sky Illuminations” walks the fine line and stays within the middle ground of the genre, with melodic interludes being used as well-fitting linking pieces. Something similar can be said about the production which is not to clean but brings enough clarity and transparence to the table to give all the details room to shine. Overall, I would argue that this album is another step forward for the band and definitely among the very best of the year when it comes to atmospheric black metal.
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