Traditionally the end of the year sees metal albums by the bigger artists being held back. It has normally been due to the fact that the metal section in the larger CD stores is shuffled off to be hidden in the corner whilst more commercial fare is put in all available space for Christmas sales. Who knows, this may change in future as digital releases (spits) become more popular but this year it has not seemed that way. In fact there has been a veritable flood of albums in the early part of 2010 and I have been very happy getting into the likes of Ihsahn, Sigh and Borknagar already. My point is that when Aealo, the tenth studio album from Rotting Christ dropped in, thoughts of everything else were rapidly pushed aside.
I maybe slightly biased having always liked this band but even by their lofty standards this one took me by surprise and bowled me over. First listen had me flabbergasted at the scope of what I had heard and I was foaming at the mouth stating that despite the year only having just started that this could be the album of 2010. An esteemed colleague has also muttered words of similar effect, so perhaps I am not entirely deluded, but why such praise, that even the gods may well be taken aback at?
Well the gods are very much a subject of conversation as the band have really gone and embraced their tradition, history and myths here to an extent further than we have ever heard from the long serving Greek act; hell they even went and put this together in a studio located in Mount Olympus and spent a year creating this epic masterpiece. One thing that really is noticeable straight away is that the album has a strong feminine presence about it. This does not mean that Sakis vocals are lacking at all but there are other aspects at play from a choir of what sounds like warriors courtesy of Pliades (the traditional choir from Ipiros who sing at funerals), Daemonia Nymphe and Dirty Granny Tales (acts who obviously need further investigation). These voices are what you hear first opening the title track and their presence is heard throughout, including one short rapturous point on the bridging track ‘Nekron lahes’ where they have complete dominance.
The production is completely formidable and the layers that we witnessed building up and coursing through ‘Theogonia’ are if anything heftier here. At the end of the first track we hear massive chants of what sounds like an army stomping into war, nothing and excuse the pun is Spartan in execution. Amongst the coursing guitar work of Sakis and Bokos one must also praise the hefty bombardment from Tolis, he has been part of the band since they started and is in his essence here. But for all the brutality there is plenty of majesty and melody glistening through, listen to the guitar work flowing around ‘Eon Aenaos’ and shiver at the sinister gothic swirls in the background. ‘Demonon Vrosis’ comes in and you only have to close your eyes to be transported into the superior HBO series Rome, I know that’s a somewhat crass metaphor but it is how it struck me as monastic chants of the very augers back the musical strum.
The albums concept dealing with the feelings of a warrior during a battle, become more evident with repeated listens. The album flows like an epic film and while no one track sticks out you need to listen to it fully, the way it is constructed without missing a second. There are a few surprises you will discover along the way, the stormy ‘dub-sag-ta-ke’ for example has a furious flurry from ancient reed pipes amongst the melee. There are also a couple of other guest appearances from Necromantia’s Magus and Primordial’s Alan A. Nemtheanga for you to keep those ears peeled back listening for. The fantastic ‘Thou Art Lord’ (a track title which is in itself an added pleasure) has some fantastic clean vocals which you should recognise before Sakis gutturally hones in and guitars cleave away. Then the wild and fastest track of the album ‘Santa Muerte’ which surely must be the final battle literally bowls you over and jumps up and down on your corpse. You would think that is it and nothing more can be packed into such an album but Rotting Christ have another trick as after the battle there must be a funeral and having Diamanda Galas to revisit her ‘Orders From The Dead’ it a veritable funeral of mankind.
I am rather glad that I wasn’t given this album to review by Terrorizer as I would have probably gone and given it a full 10 mark, something which rarely occurs in the magazine and then would have had to attempt to sum up why in 300 words. This is one of those albums for me though, it is absolutely up there in the pantheon of the gods of metal and I hope that in a decade or so it will be looked at as a veritable classic. If anything betters this in the year to come I am going to be very, very surprised and will be certainly putting money where mouth is and buying this as soon as it is released. Rotting Christ are supporting Bolt Thrower in the UK and are starting to announce festivals including Wave Gottik Treffen. I cannot wait to see some of these songs live. Buy or die, simple as!
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http://www.rotting-christ.com
