When talking about underrated death metal bands, Sweden's Aeon have to be at the top of the list. Their first two releases, 2005's Bleeding the False and 2007's Rise to Dominate are both stellar examples of brutal, often times technical, Swedish death metal. It's no surprise that the fellows in Cannibal Corpse go apeshit over these guys-this band can churn out precision extreme metal littered with bone crunching riffs, virtuoso solos & fills, jackhammer rhythms, and some of the best death growls in the business. Their latest for Metal Blade Records, Path of Fire sees them continuing on their 'path', another solid platter for all who love death metal and showing a band that is probably very close to getting major acceptance with genre fans.
Whether you find Path of Fire to be superior to their first two releases will be up to you, but it's easily as good and arguably shows the band tighter and more mature this time around. Kick ass bangers like "Kill Them All", "Abomination to God", and "Of Fire" feature no shortage of blasting & crushing riffage, while the eerie instrumental "Total Kristus Invictus" has a slight Middle Eastern vibe that wouldn't sound out of place on Nile record. Tommy Dahlstöm is all over the place with his effective growls and screams, proving to be the perfect foil to the furious and epic sounding death metal churned out by the rest of the band. Though not as technical as some other acts in the genre, expect lightning leads and weaving riffs around every corner, plus the tunes are so crushing, bombastic, and machine-like, there's no way to finish listening to this CD and not be impressed.
Fans of Nile, Vader, Cannibal Corpse, and Hate Eternal will no doubt eat Path of Fire right up. Not only is this a masterfully executed CD, but the mix by Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan is explosive. If Metal Blade can only get these guys over here to the US for some much needed live shows, this part of the world will finally experience the power that is Aeon.
Track Listing
01. Forgiveness Denied
02. Kill Them All
03. Inheritance
04. Abomination to God
05. Total Kristus Invictus
06. Of Fire
07. I Will Burn
08. Suffer the Soul
09. The Sacrament
10. Liar in the Name of God
11. God of War
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
