Aeternam - Disciples of the Unseen
Rating
RIYL
MelecheshNile
Behemoth
Release Date
02/16/2010
Label
Metal BladeTracklist
1. Ars Almadel2. Angel Horned
3. Esoteric Formulae
4. The Coronation Of Seth
5. Hamunaptra
6. Iteru
7. Goddess Of Masr
8. Ouroboros
9. Circle In Flames
10. Through The Eyes Of Ea
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Who would have thought that a Canadian metal band playing Middle Eastern music could do so as convincingly as most groups ACTUALLY FROM the Middle East? Despite hailing from Quebec, Aeternam play a form of Middle Eastern-tinged death metal that borrows more from groups like Nile and Melechesh than any of their more technical Canadian brethren. On their debut album, Aeternam inject a healthy dose of melodicism and songwriting savvy into their sound that comes together to make Disciples of the Unseen one of the more appealing metal releases of 2010.
As opposed to a group like Orphaned Land, whose forays into ethnic songwriting are extremely prevalent, the Middle Eastern element of Aeternam's sound serves as more of an accent than an overall style. Sure, there is some chanting, Middle Eastern riffing and exotic instrumentation (much of it reserved for the atmospheric interludes "Ars Alamdel" and "Iteru"), but for the most part Aeternam needn't rely on gimmicks to keep your attention. From the fitting clean vocals of "Esoteric Formulae" and "The Coronation of Seth" to the black metal attack of "Goddess of Masr” to the atmospheric keyboard flourishes throughout the album, the group demonstrates a strong grasp of effective songwriting that elevates them above bands of a similar nature. The clean vocals may turn off some listeners, though it's worth noting that they are well-placed and performed quite capably by frontman Achraf Loudiy.
Though they're certainly not recreating the wheel, Aeternam are quite competent at their craft and exude a surprising amount of confidence for a fairly young band. Their ability to borrow elements from each of the aforementioned groups while creating a sound all their own is an accomplishment in itself in the oversaturated death metal world. Though not as brutal as Nile, not as ethnic as Orphaned Land or Melechesh and more atmospheric than Dark Tranquility, they do borrow bits and pieces from each group that coalesce to create something genuinely impressive and fresh sounding. If that seems like something up your alley, give Disciples of the Unseen a spin and listen to one of the genre's more promising up-and-coming acts.
--Matt Murphy
Comments
Minnesota
Not bad. I definitely like this album more than the latest Nile or Behemoth efforts. I don't see a ton of replay value, though, since I had a hard time finding any songs on here that really stood out and screamed to be listened to over again.
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