Year: 2018
Total Time: 53:35
Label: Snow Wave Records
Palma is a Spanish city and port, capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands and is well known for the nice climate and the great amount of tourists who prefer to spend their vacations there. Palma is also the home-land of AEOLIAN, a group that its only release yet is “Silent Witness”, an album which is showing clear ecological and environmental worries, something that is more certain and current nowadays than ever before. We can describe their music as melodic Death Metal with references to DARK TRANQUILLITY, INSOMNIUM, AMON AMARTH and the old good IN FLAMES.
The opening track “Immensity” (for which a video clip has been made), is an excellent combination of aggressive Death Metal and Black Metal as far as the vocals are concerned, while “My Stripe In Madness” with the ferocious vocals and the unpredictable guitars adds some INSOMNIUM’s influences. “Return Of The Wolf King” starts with an acoustic intro followed by a sluggish guitar riff with melodies that overtake the aggressiveness and grant us with an intense listening experience. “Elysium” was, according to mythology, the place where heroes and noble great men and women were going for the afterlife. In “Elysium” we can admire the procedure and the effort AEOLIAN gave for a great songwriting with some regal riffs and zest vocals. “Awakening” is a small-thirty seconds-track with the sound of the wind upon the sea waves and the imminent storm coming, however carrying a strong emotional message. “When humanity forgets its role in this world, nature awakes and the calm becomes the fury”. Finally, in “Witness” the old good IN FLAMES’ influences are revealed with the middle acoustic guitar interlude and the skilled drumming by Alberto Risco. The guitars by AEOLIAN founder Raul Moran and Gabi Escalas seed violent, aggressive-still melodic riffs and, along with the spinal rhythm section, they give space for Daniel Perez to twist through them, either with clean or ferocious vocals.
“Silent Witness” is so mature and well written that someone could get fooled and think it as AEOLIAN’s fourth or fifth release and not their debut. With tight play, easy to remember melodies, environmental concerns and a freshness that these young guys bring with them, what more can someone expect for a debut work considering that there weren’t any previous demo or EP releases. “Silent Witness” was one of the most powerful releases of 2018, a year that was weak and sterile as far as it concerns about extreme metal releases. We are waiting anxiously for their next recording soon.
Rating: 8/10
Editor: Dimos Karadimos
Related Link: ÆOLIAN – Official Page
