by Lord Randall
I’ll admit to have stepped away from the Rotting Christ fold since just after A Dead Poem, returning after 5 years for their back-to-the-roots Genesis. Of course the melodies and goth/industrial moments were there still, but the quintet had found a mixture that suited them without taking direct influence from any of their black-lite contemporaries.
More introductory incantation than song, the title track may be off-putting for initiates, or those not yet used to the pure fact that it takes Rotting Christ the first few numbers to really lock into a decided goal of what they want to do with an album. “Demonon Vrosis” is where Aelo caused my ears to prick up in interest, Tolis exchanging death grunt for sandpapered rasp, Giorgos Bokos’ work in the latter half of the tune reminding the listener that, yes, Rotting Christ is still very much a metal band at heart, occasional tangents aside. Dual leads pepper Aelo, most noticeably in personal favorite and sure horn-thrower in the live arena “Noctis Era”. Debatable grasp of English as a written language aside, there’s an inescapable energy produced by the quintet in recorded form that many of their northern counterparts would do well to take a lesson from. Downtuned and menacing, the chugfest that is “…Pir Threontai” reveals itself in proto-industrial throb and persistent groove, Maiden-esque arpeggios winding their way throughout Sakis’ chanting. Most times I’d be taking a justified stab at a band spending nearly 5 minutes on a nearly unchanging rhythm that doesn’t really morph into anything more than it began as, but it strangely works, and its placement on Aeolo is ideal.
Closing with a liturgical yet no less fitting cover of “Orders From The Dead”, Aelo goes out with a bang not a whimper, Diamanda Galas spewing vitriol, loss, and catharsis across the heavens and below the earth. It’s a strange marriage of two entities maybe not so far apart as fans of either would think. In a musical climate built on mediocrity and trafficking in playing it safe, Aelo is an album that dares to think outside the box…and mostly succeeds.
Reader Comments
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