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Worship Metal Album Of The Week – AEONS – Consequences

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The Isle Of Man. A kingdom within a kingdom. Home to tail-less cats and possibly (definitely) the greatest motorcycle race on the planet. It’s also home to a rather talented bunch of chaps who make up the band AEONS.

AEONS released their debut album, A Tragic End*, quietly in 2019. It turned out to be one of the best debut albums we’d heard in a long, long time – a progressive metal beast encompassing many different styles, culminating in a truly epic album. If you haven’t already, go check it out. You will not be disappointed. 

*A Tragic End was included in our 10 Greatest Progressive Metal Albums Of 2019 article

So, why the reminiscing? Well, today (10th September, 2021) sees the release of AEONS‘ second album, Consequences…. but how will it fare compared to their absolutely storming debut? Let’s take a look.

Opening with “Rubicon” is a good start. A crushing beast of a track with visceral shredding, pounding rhythms and tech metal savagery. Frontman Skippy sets his stall out straight away, with vocals ranging from bludgeoning roars to emotionally charged cleans. Now here’s a gent who can change it up at a second’s notice and make it seem effortless!

Other insane ragers on the album follow – including “Thoughts Of A Dying Astronaut” (an 8 1/2 minute track that will mostly flay you alive and is seriously good) and “Bloodstains” (5 minutes of beautifully constructed heaviness) but “Rubicon” is the balls.

Don’t just take our word for it. Find out for yourself…..

Unsurprisingly, Consequences is a heavy bastard of an album but there is a little respite to be found with the more melodic tracks (relatively speaking), “Lighthouse” and “Blight” greeting all-comers with a lighter touch.

“Lighthouse” is catchy, uptempo, upbeat and has ‘hit’ written all over it whereas “Blight” is the bands ‘Opeth’ moment, a hauntingly melodic and mellow track which showcases Skippy’s superb clean vocals.

Consequences isn’t without a little grandiloquence, either. “Hades And Persephone” is a superbly constructed prog piece based on the Greek myth and features some of the best guitar work on the album (which is saying something as Si and Scott are on fire throughout). A powerful composition.

However, without a fuckin’ doubt, the highlight of the album is Consequences 11+ minute closing salvo, “Evelyn”. This is the shit right here. A prog marathon of epic greatness that showcases every extraordinary facet of this diverse band. Too much? No sir! “Evelyn” tells an engrossing tale of abuse, betrayal, revenge and redemption and ranges from raging guitars and caustic vocals to moments of sublime clarity that are almost spiritual in nature. A true prog masterpiece, the song segues effortlessly from one style to another, with every movement feeling natural, as it builds beautifully towards its cataclysmic crescendo. The perfect way to end an album of such supreme quality.

In the past, AEONS have been predominantly compared to Opeth and, certainly for their debut album, that influence was rather apt.

But Consequences is different.

“Blight” aside, the only real comparison to Opeth now would be the quality and complexity of the songwriting, the overall musicianship and the amazing vocal talent on display. AEONS are now very much their own band and comparisons are now moot. Consequences sounds like AEONS and that’s all you need to know.

So, how does Consequences compare to A Tragic End? It’s definitely the same band but they’ve purposefully, defiantly even, moved on to the next stage in their evolution. It’s a glorious album and it gets better with every damn listen.

It begs the question, where do AEONS go next? You know what? We can’t fucking wait to find out! 9.5/10 

AEONS‘s Consequences is available NOW via Bandcamp.

Consequences | AEONS | Aeons
About Darren Robb (17 Articles)
Petrolhead, metalhead, dunderhead. Lucky enough to have experienced Thrash Metal from the beginning. Still nostalgic for the 1980's. Having a love affair with Stout, although I am open to other beers. Old enough to know better.

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