Puteraeon marks its fifteenth anniversary with a new EP.
In early 2024, Jonas Lindblood (guitar/vocals, ex-Thorium), Daniel Vandija (bass, ex-Absinth), Anders Malmström (drums, ex-Absinth, ex-Immemoreal) and Rune Foss (guitar, Pagandom) unveil Quindecennial Horror, an EP of re-recorded tracks, on Emanzipation Productions.
We begin on a ship with The Plague, a track that proves being thick and effective once the introductory sample has passed, blending catchy blast and ripping riffs beneath the vocalist’s vociferations. Rather fast-paced, it quickly leaves us to make way for Whispers Of The Dead and its crushing rhythm, which lets both piercing leads and wild howls intervene to reinforce the power of the track, which only pauses to allow the break to give us a few moments’ respite before striking again without respite. Graverobber is groovier than its predecessors, with a few slower, more disquieting passages sandwiched between two waves of raw energy, before Dead Once More has us frantically shaking our heads under its rocky distortion and aggressive growls. The EP ends with the epic Storms Over Devil’s Reef, which combines a raw Death Metal approach with some dark but powerful melodies, allowing the band to end on an interesting note.
Puteraeon‘s strength has become obvious over the years, but the creation of Quindecennial Horror allows them to impose it once again. The songs of course keep their soul, while benefiting from today’s means.
80/100
