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Aosoth > Ashes of Angels > Reviews
Aosoth - Ashes of Angels

Walking the path of twisted light - 88%

Storfeth, March 22nd, 2013

Only one and a half year after their first, self-titled album, Aosoth prove to be consistent and return with their second release, which clearly sets the bar high, and stands them out from the countless bands of the genre.

Compared to their first, more traditional work, here Aosoth start to add quite a few dissonant melodies to their tracks, attempting a more atmospheric musical approach. An exception are the two opening tracks that are incredibly violent, ferocious and grab you by the neck, offering some of the most intriguing moments of this album. Beyond that, the listener can notice slower tempos which, with their repetition, can drench you into lassitude, with highlight the extraordinary “Path of Twisted Light”. Truth is that I do not consider myself a huge fan of dissonance in black metal, because of the excessive use of it nowadays, but Aosoth pulled off this task really well. They preserved my interest unrelenting, as I felt that each riff had its exact position and reason of existence.

Guitars have the lead role as usual, with a great balance between the rhythm and the lead parts. Bass gives the required volume, while the drumming is brute and dynamic as always, with the excellent changes in tempo causing awe. Production is typically good, while vocals seem to be a little lower than the other instruments. To be honest, MkM sounds to me like a wounded animal, struggling to avoid death. Or maybe longing to find a relieving one. The album closes with a cover of Antaeus’ “Inner War”. Personally I don’t find meaning in comparison with the original one, since I find the cover kind of unnecessary.

After their first reconnaissance album, with “Ashes of Angels” Aosoth seem to find their musical identity. Close your eyes and indulge to the atrocity, but concurrently the mesmerizing power of this release. I’m sure that at some point, especially during the middle tracks, you will feel numb and eerily tranquil, knowing that the end is near and there is no point in trying to prevent it.

Originally written for: The Lair of Storfeth

Ashes of Angels - 96%

Orlok666, April 8th, 2012

Here we have the second maelstrom of French black metal band Aosoth. Between the thrash oriented old school edges of their previous album and the twisting dissonance of III - Violence & Variation this album melds the two approaches with it's own distinct attack. Out of all of Aosoth's work to this point, this release brings the specter of MkM's previous (potentially other) band Antaeus to the mind. However, it in no way just simply replicates Antaeus. It's just in certain riff patterns we find elements that are similar.

The attack throughout is intensive and invasive. Riffing is primal, yet made up of strange melodies that rage into the psyche. Bass presents a melding of techniques. From holding down the low end to actively working to complement the songwriting. Drumming is furious and well played throughout. Always adding the right touch to the songs without over doing anything.

Production technique is one I am very fond of. All instrumentation is quite loud in the mix and audible, vocals are presented in the same light as the instruments. The drums are given a thick almost distorted sound that adds to the foreboding atmosphere.

Songwriting throughout is excellent. This is one aspect why this album reaches higher grades with me then their other work. Whilst III was an excellent album, it worked only as a whole composition. The songs in themselves lacked differentiating factors that this recording operates upon. Each track here works in its own realm, and the full picture is obtained by listening to the record from beginning to end. Each piece fits its place, and works to reach the visionary state of hellish void presented.

Some may dislike the fact that the riffing is segmented in this way, for example the dissonance of the album is mainly in tracks like "Path of Twisted Light," rather then being spread around in other songs. Thus we have a kind of dichotomy of sound here. Fast tracks mainly stay fast, the slow malevolent tracks may include some fast sections but operate with different riff sets. I like this approach though, for it makes each song a piece and flowing within their subtext. There's no jumping around from a muscular attack to a dissonant ambient riff in a song, instead there's the gradual dissolution of sound into an organic whole of perversion.

One can hear slight influence of old school Satanic death metal on certain sections. Opener "Songs Without Lungs" has sections which almost sound totally death metal. I know MkM has talked about his love of old Incantation in interviews, so this would make sense as an influence. It's certainly there in both faster sections and in the doom aspects. However, this is toned by their ability to keep themselves rooted in black metal, thus we never fly totally into space or the abyss here.

Certain ambient touches are applied here and there. Keyboards, samples bits and pieces of hellish symphonies that flitter at the edge of the mind. Eerie qualities of the darkest pits come to mind. As the music slithers into its total morbidity we find the mind fixating on things best left unsaid.

It must be pointed out that the title could refer to the Watchers and Nephilim of Satanic lore. The angels who fell from heaven and taught mankind how to create weapons of war. From mating with the daughters of man they gave birth to the giant Nephilim who also in their own way teach men. Many of the song titles and lyrics that can be understood seem to point to this understanding. It could also be taken as a reference to the influential industrial band In Slaughter Natives who had a song of that name. Again I know MkM has mentioned them in interviews, so this may be a possibility. If so then again we are reduced back to the Watchers, the fallen angels, and the mysteries inherent in a deeper understanding of Satanism.

Aosoth may not be for everyone, but I enjoy their works a great deal. This album is my favorite of their releases due to it's songwriting. It has a very satisfying feeling to it when listened that keeps me hooked and coming back for more. It also takes me to a place of mind that generates great darkness and power. Music is spirituality and philosophy and sometimes one finds bands that resonate within, for me this is one of those bands, and one of those albums.

Sophomore from the serpent blastfurnace - 70%

autothrall, April 25th, 2010

The dire forces of Aosoth are clearly not the type to shake your hand and parlay; their chosen form of communication is to cut your throat, chug a sanguine sampling, and then offer you forth as some demonic sacrifice. One of France's more grinding, venomous exports, they offer nothing but cruel, Satanic inspired hostility. Far more Arkhon Infaustus than Peste Noire, they just hammer the piss out of you.

Ashes of Angels is another release upon the prolific Agonia Records, and it follows the band's self-titled debut in 2008. This band is not really one for melody, so if you seek anything aside from the most grinding, filthy black metal, you will not find a safe harbor here. The band crosses their fiery paths with a mix of blasting excess ("Embrace and Enlightenment", "Summon the Dead", "Banished") and slower, mid-paced rhythms ("Communion Through Pain") where they let the hostility breathe. The atmosphere of this record is abrasive and violent, hailing you from the gutters and unwashed crawlspaces of the universe. Often the band will slow down the pace even further, and this produces some of more memorable tracks, like the creepy "Teaching/Erasing" and the Satanic victory of "Cries Out the Heaven". This is also one of the few bands to themselves in "Inner War"...well, not themselves exactly, but Antaeus, also fronted by the vocalist MkM (many former Aosoth members were also in Antaeus). It's one of the stronger tracks on the album.

Ashes of Angels is no revelation, but it's abusive enough to appeal to fans of the harsher side of European black metal. It's noisy and unforgiving, but dynamic enough to remain interesting, in particular through the slower material.

Highlights: Teaching/Erasing, Communion Through Pain, Cries Out the Heaven

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com