ESPRIT D’AIR
Aeons
EMMA RUTH RUNDLE/PRESS
STARSTORM
Sisters Of Mercy axeman goes on a kaleidoscopic alt metal odyssey
Aeons finds these Japanese alt metallers stretching their sound into widescreen technicolour: part power metal odyssey, part electro dreamscape. Guitarist Kai’s (also of Sisters Of Mercy), production gleams, every synth shimmer and guitar solo polished to perfection. Chronos and Shadow Of Time storm ahead with galloping riffs and neon urgency, while Zetsubou No Hikari fuses alt metal swagger with the bite of early Slipknot. Quetzalcoatl’s theatrical falsetto and glitzy synths flirt with excess, yet the band’s precision keeps it on the rails. The closing Habatake marries fists-in-the-air riffs with dancefloor electronics. Aeons can feel like a sensory blur, but if the emotions burn bright, the melodies drift away too easily. Aeons is a dazzling listen, if not always a lasting one. ■■■■■■■■■■