Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Review: Rotting Christ - Aealo


Band: Rotting Christ
Album: Aealo
Year: 2010
Genre: Melodic Black Metal

I can understand why the name Rotting Christ would be off putting to most. But you would have to hear Aealo in order to really appreciate what this Greek band has to offer. Put the name aside and let your ears do the judging!

This album has been my introduction to the band and it has been a great one. Starting off with the track of the same name, Aealo, you can hear how the band melds the music of their homeland into their interesting style of melodic black metal. As you listen to the track you are greeted with women wailing and an almost tribal chant near the end.

These different chants and the female vocals do a lot to submerge the listener into the Greek culture RC injects pretty heavily into the songs. I also really enjoy how the Greek language is used at times it adds more to the atmosphere. Especially in the start of Demonon Vrosis.

There might be one glaring problem with this album though: a lot of it sounds the same. But it might be a problem and it might not. For me it definitely isn’t an issue. You can notice it sounds a little samey but its so enjoyable that I easily forgive the band and I don’t mind hearing these riffs repeated in different ways or chanting recycled.

The only other place where the band seems to stumble is the cover song Orders From the Dead which is the last track on the album. It is a long boring affair where some woman basically rambles on about the end of the world or something to that affect for 9 minutes. She actually sounds like the woman who plays the character of Artemis on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia haha.

Whoever wrote the guitar riffs did a superb job. Like I said earlier they can sound the same at times but I think there is just enough difference that you can appreciate how catchy and headbangable they are. They are never really thrashy and stay at about a mid pace. They actually sound kind of mechanical at times being very precise.

The vocalist is pretty unique, at least to my ears. His screams are a kind of higher pitch and throaty. He doesn’t usually go too high with them but you can tell when he is trying and overall while his voice isn’t too impressive it serves its purpose and I can’t find any fault with it.

Aealo is a really great album drenched heavily in an ancient Greek atmosphere. The riffs and vocal lines are a joy to listen to and are sure to make you give this one many spins. The last track is really the only misstep that mars an otherwise pleasurable listen.

Score: 8/10
Standout Track: Aealo, Eon Aenaos, Demonon Vrosis, Noctis Era…pretty much anything but Orders From the Dead!

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