Bleeding the False

This band is somehow the most average band I've ever heard in death metal. It’s not like its bad because in the end its death metal you know, but there’s nothing to love of hate about this… it just exists in a monotone grey plane. The musicians really know how to play, but there’s no inspiration in this music whatsoever. The riffing is so generic and squared! The time signatures they use are always the most predictable and there are no off beats in the drumming or something that breaks the 4/4 monotony these guys are about. The strong Deicide influence also takes a lot of originality to the already watered down sound they have.

The vocals consist of a pair of tracks one deep and guttural and the other one high pitched and raspy; more shrieks than growls. The vocalization sounds kind of forced in my opinion, and it’s very repetitive so it gives the feeling the guy is just rhythmically barking at the pace of the drums rather than giving a new dimension to the music. Guitar’s distortion is heavy and raw, but still very modern. Not just acid, more solid. There are some sweep picking parts that show that the level of technicality they manage is high, but the riffing is lackluster. The bass guitar is present with a metallic and clanky end, but it doesn't have enough weight, it follows the riffs all the time perfectly but that’s it. There’s an empty space in the lows and mid lows in the mix that should be filled by the 4 strings, it sounds like the sound engineer is a guitarist. The drumming is tight and accurate but doesn't add anything to the music it just keeps the pace for the riffs. It sounds very mechanic and triggered… like any on any other modern death metal record. The fills aren't particularly creative but at least they have enough strength and force to make the whole band sound noisy.

“Morbid Desire to Burn”, “Forever Nailed” and “Bleeding the False” are the highlights of the album that pretty much consist on fillers. There’s something positive I have to point about the band and it is that they get better in the slow slam breakdowns, which are actually heavy and kind of set the right mood at least for a moment before the fast parts come in to ruin everything. There’s really not an improvement between this album and the band’s first EP, it sounds pretty much the same in terms of composition and production… it looks like this is the sound the guys want to coin, which isn't terrible but is extremely generic.

Aeon’s Bleeding the False is as lifeless as it gets for brutal death metal. The music is more uninspired and flatter than a glass of room temperature carbonated water that’s been sitting on the counter. The riffs are almost impossibly uninventive, but even that’s not a problem in and of itself – they lead nowhere. Each song drones on and on with the same riff or two on repeat, and even the parts where Aeon decides to add something new to the mix it just sounds like the song is going in circles until it ends, and the next brings you more of the same. Similarly the drummer is a one trick pony. Except for the rare segments where the music is focused on something besides Attack!! Attack!!, all you can hear is fast and stereotypical death metal drumming in its most straightforward form. They could’ve used the same clip of one drumming session on all the songs and no one would’ve heard a difference from what’s really on here. The vocals alone aren’t an issue. They too are almost entirely without variety, though lots of death metal greats have made great music without the need for fancy vocal effects or a variety in style. But combined with the unimaginative music, the vocals do nothing but make for an all-around worthless album. No redeeming features and the only thing worth mentioning about the vocals is that the lyrics are more somewhat more legibly sung than the death metal standard. Speaking of lyrics, I could care less how intellectual or sewer-worthy they may be, but be prepared for Deicide-esque immature Satanism and easily decipherable lines like “heaven is for faggots.” If anything this kind of juvenile aggression would be cool if only there was more than terribly repetitive and simplistic music to back it.

Is there anything about Bleeding the False that DOESN’T get my panties in a knot? For one thing it IS death metal, which except for that Lamb of God crap trying to pass for death metal, is marginally more interesting than if I put on some reggae or pop or whatever. Some parts of Bleeding the False are almost reminiscent of Behemoth, including vocals riffing and drumming. The way everything comes together at times I could swear it was sampled from a Behemoth record. Not really a good or bad thing, but something that stands out. And ok, I admit the country version of God Gives Head in Heaven is hella funny and actually the most genuine and interesting song here, despite being a joke. (if that says anything about the rest of the album.) Anyways, as far as (brutal) death metal goes there is much better stuff out there. I couldn’t imagine liking this album unless I had just recently heard death metal. Very simplistic, soulless and redundant, and coming from a listener currently in a phase of being more open and less picky with music.

I bought this album a few years ago after hearing Soulburner on a demo cd that came with a mail order. It struck me as a very powerful song, and I assumed that the actual album might live up to that hope. I wasn't disappointed when I got Bleeding the False in my mailbox. The music came through for me, as did the vocals. However, the lyrical content was juvenile in my opinion. I can say that the lyrics themselves were the only weak point for my ears.

Musically, this release parallels on some levels Deicide’s, The Stench of Redemption. I mean this in overall relentlessness and in some aspects the sound itself. The decimating nature of the vocals borders on a sound that rivals Behemoth’s, Demigod. I suppose that if you took these three albums you would be running a very close idea lyrically. This album shares qualities that acts like Behemoth and Deicide base their whole sound on, but they are not a rip-off band in my eyes. Like any release for most bands, there are different effects in use. I can’t tell you exactly what any band uses, or how they set it up for that matter, but Aeon has their own precise sound for this album. Aeon may or may not believe in the lyrics they deliver, but they sure are convincing when the words are growled/roared.

I find the music throughout the cd to be diverse, but never straying from the brutal roots. There are guitar solos and bridges that display a level of technicality I find impressive. There is some 4/4 time chugging and then Aeon will throw you off your feet with a tempo change to recalculate your mosh pattern. The drumming is precise for the whole album and fast to boot. I don't know what the drumset looked like for recording this album, but it sounds like the full deal. There are a number of cymbals and the required tom rolls throughout.

The mixing of the album was done in a masterful way. Everyone is heard on the album fairly equally. The sound might actually be a little bit over-polished for a death metal album. This is easy to overlook though if you enjoy hearing music the way you would at a venue with incredible acoustics. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the Gothenburg sound at all in my opinion. It's just the way you'd want your band to sound if you could afford the studio time.

For the final track on my copy of Bleeding the False I was given a real treat as the song “God Gives Head in Heaven” was performed acoustically. What better way to end a brutal death metal album with a campfire version of one of the most blasphemous songs you’ve ever heard. If you like your sac-religious tunes any way you can get them, then you have to give this track a listen.

In the end, Bleeding the False is one of my favorite albums. This is not the most technical or most brutal album out there. It is a good listen though. This album may grow on you like it did for me if you give it the chance.

Aeon is an insane Swedish quintet that offers brutal and sufficiently technical music, yet they have no variety… This album is about as generic and redundant as it gets. It’s heavy, the drumming consists of mainly blastbeats and tiny fills here and there. The bass is hardly existent. The vocals are great though. You can easily decipher what the lyrics are and they are brutal as fuck.

The lyrics are horrendous. A miserable attempt to be blasphemous that sounds like it was written by a twelve year old with a limited vocabulary. I find some humor in some the song titles such as: “Doorknocker”. Other than that they’re pretty lame, just more adolescent anti-Christian anger.

Now that we have that out of the way let’s focus on the better qualities of this album. The intro and the first track are fantastic. This is the best part of the album. It just immediately pounds you in the face it’s pretty intense. We also have some great shredding throughout this album, which is the only thing that really keeps me awake after track four. The drums are consistent and show lots of potential. A lot of talent is definitely present here. The production is almost perfect except for the lack of bass.

Song structure is bland and repetitive. Some parts and riffs are way overdone and after a while it all becomes dull. So if you are looking to buy an Aeon album I would recommend “Rise To Dominate”, as it features improved musicianship and song structure. Also a note about the bonus track: the humor will probably die out quickly and you’ll probably realize that it was hardly worth the time you put in to listening to this mockery of technical death metal.

Stand out tracks: “Soulburner” and “Morbid Desire to Burn”

After listening to this album countless times, I thought it only decent to write a review. Aeon's 'Bleeding the False' has managed to stick with me for quite a while. I totally agree with the guy who said that the lyrics in a few songs are extremely cheesy, but I don't necessarily think that these are the expressions of the band members themselves...perhaps more of an exaggeration of the general opinion in this style of music. Still, I can't help but growl along with stuff like "taste the fist of hell!!"

The guitarwork fits quite well with the majority of the songs. It's not extremely flashy, but it works to the point of being memorable. One thing I noticed is that the drums seem to stick out a lot more than usual - a definite plus, especially when combined with the fast and heavy guitar riffage. Another thing I like is that while the vocals are extremely harsh (but not overpowering), they're still understandable.

Almost all the songs on this album are very fast-paced and aggressive. I can't wait for the next album to see how Aeon evolves and improves upon an already great formula. I have to think that these guys have a sense of humor because it's impossible for me to keep a straight face throughout the entire album. Sometimes bands focus too much on the message behind their music so that the quality is compromised - this isn't one of those cases. I'd suggest this album to all fans of death metal.

Favorite tracks: "Forever Nailed," "Satanic Victory"

That pretty much sums up what the band Aeon is. Take Decapitated's "Nihility" album and put some mediocre, cheesy anti-Christianity lyrics to their music. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this band, but this CD proves that Aeon has something going on, yet something is hindering their process.

The most enjoyable part of this CD has definitely got to be the guitar work. Semi-technical riffage at its greatest. However, it seems like the band has worshipped "Nihility" too much and decided to use it in their music. Not that it's bad or anything, just not the absolute greatest this band can do. Take songs like "Forever Nailed" and "Morbid Desire To Burn". Excellent riffs and songs that are rather memorable. It seems that the riffage is out of place in the song "Bleeding The False" in its chorus.

Now, here's what I have to obviously rant about: the lyrical content. Okay, I seriously don't care much if a band sings about their feelings, their emotions, their beliefs, their views, etc., but Aeon tends to take their anti-Christianity belief too far here. I think they outsmarted Deicide here! Looking at the song titles made me laugh pretty hard ("Bible Whore", "God Gives Head In Heaven"), but when you listen to the content of those two songs, you can't help it but shit your pants in laughter. If you're one who doesn't take this stuff seriously, you'll be likely to memorize these lyrics. I mean, in "God Gives Head In Heaven", who can't remember the line "forced to fuck your God, he wants it up his ass, Heaven is for faggots"?

Now, I'm not trashing this band completely here. Along with their excellent riffs, Tommy Dahlström has decipherable vocals, and you'll sing along with his catch lines in no time. Nils Fjellström is an excellent and underhyped drummer who does his great share in Aeon. This band definitely has instrumental potential, and while it may not be 100% original, it's nice and fun to follow along with.

All in all, this is an album to consider yourself before you grab it. If you enjoy metal with a sense of humor and are not offended by lyrics about anti-Christianity and fellatio, along with excellent riffage in the vein of Decapitated and later Behemoth, pick this up. If those aren't your cup of tea, however, maybe you shouldn't listen to it.

P.S. The acoustic version of "God Gives Head In Heaven" located at the end of the disc is definitely worth your listen.