ALBUM REVIEW: Suspended Between Earth and Sky – Ageless Oblivion

Flash back to 2014 and the UK metal scene was in a considerably different state to what it is today. Sure, there were bands of glistening quality, but compare that to the booming and vibrant scene we have today, and only a fool would tell you that we’re in a worse off state. When AGELESS OBLIVION released their second record, 2014’s breakthrough Penthos, the band were heralded as ones to watch in the UK’s death metal underground. But, it was not to be as the band faded into the wilderness. Now, after a period of prolonged silence, the beast has awoken. Armed with their third record, Suspended Between Earth and Sky, AGELESS OBLIVION intend to pick up right where they left off seven years ago. But does this new record carry enough weight to keep pace with the flag bearers of modern times?

If there is one word to summarise Suspended Between Earth and Sky, let it be this; epic. AGELESS OBLIVION shrug off the cobwebs and their returning opus is packed to the brim with top tier death metal that is as expansive as it is brutal, all the while benefitting from a production job that keeps the record organic, grounded and sonically punishing.

In Media Res is a terrific opener as the band’s calculated and, at times, refrained approach allows the soundscape to really expand and sink its teeth in. Black metal-laden riffing intertwines with some meaty death metal chug whilst the vocals holds their own with effective guttural blasts all whilst consistent double bass drumming keeps the momentum flowing forwards. Ladies and gentlemen, AGELESS OBLIVION are back with a bang.

From there, the band keep delivering the goods and the quality across the record is remarkable. From Ash and Sulphur‘s dissonant riffing and technical bends would sit comfortably on a ULCERATE record whilst All Was Froze comes flying out the traps at 100mph before dynamically evolution into a mid-tempo passage of play that stands as one of the album’s most immersive moments.

However, this immersion experienced on All Was Froze pales in comparison to the gargantuan epic that is Anvil Chorus. As All Was Froze‘s solemn guitar lines bleeds seamlessly into Anvil Chorus‘ melancholic intro, you get that the feeling you’re about to experience something truly exhilarating and that you do. Here, the band utterly excel as bulldozing riffs and guttural snarls of explosive fury dominate proceedings before doom-driven soundscapes pull you into the abyss, only to spew you out as a triumphant finale ensures that the song finishes with a flourish. It is quite possibly one of the best songs AGELESS OBLIVION have ever written.

For all the quality found within Suspended Between Earth and Sky, there are the occasional moments when the band falter. The Sun Surrenders It’s Crown is the most guilty of this. Despite its incredibly cool title, the track crawls at a snails pace, opting to put the focus towards a more funeral doom-esque approach. If you look at the track as a bridge between the aforementioned Anvil Chorus and the bombastic Cohesion, this is just fine, but, take the song on its own merits and the result is a drag with no real sense of direction. This is just a blemish on an otherwisingly superb record though as the one-two punch of Cohesion and gargantuan closer Eldmessa ensures that the record finishes on the most devastating of highs.

The extreme metal scene, particularly death metal with progressive flourishes, has evolved and grown considerably since 2014. With such a long gap between Penthos and Suspended Between Earth and Sky, AGELESS OBLIVION could have easily been seen as a relic of days past. Suspended Between Earth and Sky announces the band’s return with the utmost of bangs. Expansive, dynamic and brutally heavy, AGELESS OBLIVION have emerged from the shadows and rejoin a scene that, on the back of this record, will welcome them with open arms.

Rating: 8/10

Suspended Between Earth and Sky is set for release on April 30th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft. 

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