A five-piece band came on stage and hypnotised me for 40 or so minutes with their hybrid but fluid fusion of hardcore, death and post metal, then disappeared as anonymously as they’d arrived. Research led me to the conclusion that this was Aeolist from Norwich, and they’d been called up at the last minute to play at TechFest 2013. This same Aeolist has now come out again and released an EP.
Memories flooded back as this four track work opens up with the death-style vocalist screaming in pure tones over a series of technical movements. This roaring technicality seems to be where modern metal is at the moment. I like its irregularity. Yet there’s discipline too in those sparks, and the anarchic scene develops into an emotion-wrenching post metal passage, enhanced by the combination of the melancholic guitar and soothing drum sound. There is experimentation and raw brutality but neither is for its own sake. This is like someone who has something to say, and who can say it loud and articulately. My only gripe is a common one for bands with an abundance of ideas: they need to take time now and then. Why all the urgency? Was there a limit on studio time? But I cannot deny that the urgency of movement and all the switching and progressions kept me captivated. This swings from one enthralling and energetic passage to another. At the core is this in-your-face technically orientated metal, but it’s the developments which provide the interest. The second track starts in the template style, with the technical twists increasing. From nowhere a jazz guitar section emerges, then it’s back to venomous technical aggression before expanding into brutal angst-ridden soundscapes and a short quirky solo. The stakes are raised again as the third track starts as an assault. Aeolist don’t deal with fripperies like track titles – why confuse the listening experience? I thought we were going to hear a piece of brute magnificence but it drops away and takes a different turn. Exciting and melancholic, the mood turns to ringing post metal. This, I felt, is where Aeolist are strongest. They mug you by furtively changing the line of attack, while leaving aggression within the field of expression, and so combining two distinct moods.
The fourth and final track has a complete change of face. Soft and dreamy post metal, reminiscent of Cult of Luna, is at the heart of the build-up. Dreams of the airy kind are not generally what Aeolist are made of, and the scene expands and rises into the sky. There’s an admirable mix of melancholy and pain in the expressive instrumental and vocal range. The pain transforms into a delicate suggestive passage, emphasised by soft drums and the distant echo of the guitar, before a majestic and powerful ending.
This debut EP showcases Aeolist’s skill and talent, which are plentiful. Like the show I witnessed, I felt an attractiveness about the music they play. I also felt that thematic coherence was lacking as there seemed to be an element of “let’s get every idea we’ve had on the table before we lose it”. This was held together by the technical skill, which of course is a good thing, and irregularity is part of the progressive package, but there is still work to be done to achieve maximum overall effectiveness. There’s enough here to show that Aeolist have the intelligence to know what works well, what doesn’t and what’s worth tantalising us with and what’s worth hanging on to. That’s for the future but for now I hail this EP as a gut-busting first effort from a fine band who spring magic by matching aggression and subtlety.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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