Aodon lets darkness speak to us again.
Founded in France in 2016 by M-Kha (all instruments, Silure, Vayron), the band is accompanied live by Alix (bass) and Laurent C. (guitar). Portraits, their third album, comes out in 2023 by Willowtip Records, mixed and mastered by AJ Viana (Cognitive, Hath…).
Swen, the first track, immediately nails us to the ground with a wave of heavy aggressive sounds before welcoming raw vocal parts. Heady melodies perfectly reinforce the straightforward visceral message, accompanied by a massive blast which only ceases to let Egon offer us a gentle breeze before darkness invades us once more. The haunting sound is occasionally slowed down without losing its strength, as on the dissonant Mayerson, where the storm adopts ominous elements, letting us catch our breath before flaring up again with the most abrasive saturation. Adam then unveils soaring melodies while remaining in a dark and relatively cold shade, letting coldness spread to every corner of our mind before a more soothing final followed by Miquella and its as moody as bewitching atmosphere. Vocal parts are more impressive, giving this track a tragic aura while temporizing the more aggressive moments, while we feel them very brutal again on Andreas, the following track, which skilfully plays with soothing leads to contrast the tiring sonorities. Liza then unleashes the apocalypse with an uncompromising sound which takes advantage of the slower parts to let wrenching leads keep us on our toes before devastating riffs come back to ensnare us, then the sound fades away before Inaki returns to dissonant, hypnotic tones. The Old School approach perfectly fits the rhythmic surge followed by Sheelagh and its soaring harmonics, which close the album by creating some cocoon of softness within which drums and vocal parts seek to escape.
Aodon weaves his hypnotic melodies on a raw but fascinating basis, letting each element of Portraits complete its contrast with the next one, making the album a veil of softness behind which it vigorously stabs us.
90/100