Written by Carcassbomb
- Aodon
- 11069
- Atmospheric Black Metal
- Périgueux, France
- March 27, 2020
- Via Willowtip Records (Pre-Order)
- 9.5/10
Aodon is an impressive project with all the composing, lead guitar, screams and drums being done by the same person, M-Kha. None of which feel weaker than other aspects in any way, there’s a very uniform competence on display here with 11069. Beyond the talents of M-Kha we also have some great contributions such as Alix R., a bassist who is also a french author, responsible for the lyrics and Laurent C. on rhythm guitar as well as additional vocals. Expect to see this one make the rounds once it’s released on the 27th of March on Willowtip Records.
As I’ve said many times before, solo visions benefits greatly from the right collaborations, to have those extra eyes lay scrutiny on some ideas while giving birth to other ideas. This is a highly creative trio playing to their strengths – totally in their element.
It’s a nice progressive but still heartily metal kind of sound with post metal lead guitar layered over a bombastic rhythm section pummeling out palm muted riffs and big kicks. These sounds often mesh and slow down or speed up together at times for a very epic sound. The final nail in the coffin is delivered by the fantastic vocal performance that sounds unpredictable and harrowing, reminding me of 2019’s Advent Sorrow. A lot of pure force coming out of this vocalist, it’s a strong expression every time they come onto a track. It’s never understated and they know when to stay back and let the compositions tell the story.
A lot of post black metal has a tendency to fall flat, particularly… and wait for it… the tremolo picking, yes something I mention in like half of my reviews and well, they’re a huge part of this genre. The more pure post metal essence of the guitar work does wonders to keep even the most basic licks and tremolos rejuvenated, often using short bursts with long sustain on the final note. It gives me strong Isis or Explosions In The Sky vibes and I absolutely dig it. There’s such emotion behind this album and this fresh take on the guitars ties it together with the intense vocals perfectly. Pacing plays a huge role in 11069, something many bands struggle with but Aodon just gets it, there’s a brooding patience that makes the faster parts so effective.
Aodon: Bandcamp (Pre-Order) / Facebook / Instagram
There’s clearly a big concept behind this album, though it’s in french, which I don’t understand and I don’t trust Google enough to translate foreign poetry. The album art by the awe-inspiring surreal artist Ludovic Robin helps solidify a sense of theme. The art game for the metal community in 2020 has been top notch so far and this is one of the most competitive ones yet.
From what I can gather of the track titles is that there’s a focus on natural things like “The Insect” and “The Scent Of Rain” which is in contrast to the album title of numbers, and that’s really all I can make out. I’m very interested in having global contributors to my articles for the sake of figuring out themes of albums in foreign languages, so if you know languages other than English and want to get on board, reach out. It might be fun.
Speaking of insects, this album is the bees knees man, I’m simply blown away. This album has everything going for it, it’s well presented, it’s intelligent and it’s emotional. It’s one of the most sophisticated atmospheric black metal records I’ve ever heard.
9.5/10
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