To me, Germany’s SULPHUR AEON is definitely one of the best Death Metal bands nowadays, with four killer albums under their belts. So, this is guitarist T’s side band, which is in essence very close to his other band. It is probably a bit more melodic, has more of an atmospheric approach and drifts away in the lyrical aspect from the horrors of HP Lovecraft to some more earthly terrors. To say that the musicianship is incredible and very emotional is just a basic statement. It probably goes farther than that with a very vibrant aura in every song. Comparing them to other bands is quite a task, they do have that heavy atmospheric dooming Death Metal approach of bands like early THE GATHERING or MY DYING BRIDE, but with the brute force of ASPHYX, mid-era DEATH and bits of symphonic Black Metal like EMPEROR. Must mention the incredible vocal attack by Christian Schettler, that adapts his very strong phrasing style to the great music, with all types of growls and screams at the right moment. The guitar playing is just so creative that fuses grim melodies with heaviness more akin to atmospheric Black Metal, but without a doubt firmly rooted in Death Metal, although a very experimental one, which is not afraid to use progressive chords and epic Heavy Metal influences. And then this is the kind of release that every time you play it, you find newer things, you listen to it with different approaches and realise this is a work of a genius. The dissonant riffs used in different places against massive riffs and haunting melodies turn this into a whole apocalyptic experience. I started listening to this without knowing who was involved, and no surprise I linked it to SULPHUR AEON, a band that I regard very high. Well, to me this is a contender for album of the year, and a must have in any format. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554540398011, www.facebook.com/vanrecords