The explosion of death metal bands in current times makes it impossible to follow the copious amount of good music being put out by so many great bands globally. That being said, one of the rising stars among this multitude of bands is Aethereus, from Tacoma in the state of Washington, USA. Aethereus recently released a gem, in their debut full-length album ‘Absentia’, that more than merits just one listen. So much so in fact because it is really, really, so damn good. Staring at the listener right at the outset, is the majestic cover art, which is perfectly in line with the music that the CD has in store within.
Aethereus has adopted a formula of pleasant, melodic technical death metal that is hard to dislike, and grows on you with each listen, especially if you like this genre. Their music is a combination of beautiful atmospheres, grindy tech riffs with melodic solos, and top-notch brutal vocals. Also thrown into the mix are the occasional blackened riff, and vocals to match, making the album very interesting and quite difficult to predict. Twirly inter-twining guitars, prominent bass lines, and hammering drums on the tracks transition from steady in-your-face death metal into scenic melodic breaks providing relief, before the dramatic storm comes right back at you.
The overall production is clean, and makes the final product sound crisp and polished. Make no mistake, this album is definitely a voyage through controlled chaos blended with tonnes of ‘ethereal’ melody. I can and will highly recommended it for fans of melodic technical death metal, or even progressive blackened death metal. Fans of bands like Virvum, Augury, and Inferi should definitely listen to this and make a grab for physical merch before it goes out of stock. This release fits perfectly with the label ‘The Artisan Era’ and their roster of modern technical bands in no uncertain terms.
Stand out tracks include “Fluorescent Halls of Decay”, the pendulum like title track “Absentia”, and a haunting album closer in “The Pale Beast”. You can stream and buy it here:
https://aethereus.bandcamp.com/album/absentia-3
Rating – 4.5/5
Reviewed with kind additional contribution from GrunThor.
The Metal Wanderlust 