ALBUM REVIEW: The Ailing Facade – Aeviterne
In the world of death metal, it’s not necessarily all to do simply with cartoonish violence and depictions of hell. Sometimes and often even more terrifyingly, practitioners of this art will look inwardly, capturing a snapshot of the human condition and all its flaws and futilities. Looking to explore this truly bleak proposition is AEVITERNE, the new project from Grett Bussanick, formerly of FLOURISHING. The band, also featuring bassist Eric Rizk (also of FLOURISHING), drummer Ian Jacyszyn (MIASMATIC NECROSIS) and Samuel Smith (ARTIFICIAL BRAIN) have just released their debut album The Ailing Facade, but given the prestige of everyone involved how will it measure up to their previous projects?
Opener Denature sets the tone for everything that is to follow with a maelstrom of deeply unsettling discordance and dense, complex riffing. Complicated drum patterns and time signature changes alternate at a moment’s notice, becoming disorientating in much the same way OUR PLACE OF WORSHIP IS SILENCE’s more labyrinthine material is. A particular highlight are the sweeps of sickly melodious lead guitar lines which tie everything together and provide a claustrophobic and almost nauseating atmosphere.
Stilled The Hollows’ Sway and Penitent offer more of the same sweltering atmosphere and jagged riff work. It clearly draws from both the black and death metal wells, but, in the way that some of the most enigmatic metal of the last two decades has, it feels sharply distinct from the traditions of both camps. It has the vitriol and misanthropy-soaked aura mastered by DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT, but also the restrained, threatening style offered up by THE RUINS OF BEVERAST. The vocals here are of particular note too, sounding distinctly reminiscent of the choked gallows-howl of Martin Van Drunen, something that will certainly appeal to fans of the Dutch master’s later works.
The Reeking Suns is probably the most melodic outing so far, with wailing, mournful lead lines overlaying a bone-crunchingly powerful piece of drum work. The song-writing is also particularly impressive, as despite the harsh, dissonant nature of the music, every aspect of it feels fully fleshed out, considered and laid in the exact right place.
The midriff of The Ailing Facade has plenty of engaging material on display, arguably the album’s strongest. Here we find The Gaunt Sky, a miasma of harsh, multifaceted riffs, complex rhythms and anxiety-inducing atmosphere. This is followed by the taut, filthy sojourn of Obeyance, which writhes its way through your mind like some Precambrian armoured centipede, keeping to a hellish rhythm and demolishing all in its path with the sheer weight of its musical heft. The trilogy is rounded out by title track The Ailing Facade. This track rolls and broils like a storm-tossed ship at first, before unassailable walls of thunderous blast beats spring up to flank the central riffs.
Closer Dream In Lies is far more monolithic than its predecessors. Its winding intro builds a feeling that could be described as akin to being lost in some dank catacomb. It’s a much more carefully considered and prolonged assault than what we’ve seen before. It’s a builder which is more easily likened to a serial killer’s protracted hunt and eventual strike, the payoff in this case not being murder but a closing section comprised of truly cyclopean slabs of riffs. It’s certainly drawn out and some may see it as almost reserved compared to the earlier material, but it feels like the only logical conclusion to these 45 minutes of suffocating madness.
Overall, The Ailing Facade cannot be described as something common. It’s fresh, original and vibrant, despite being about as dark and brooding as they come. Testament to the ability of all involved with AEVITERNE, the consideration that has been poured into this work is palpable and the results are absolutely formidable. Let this be a lesson to all those who construct music in this particular vein of extremity, this is a high bar that has been set, barking to AEVITERNE’s contemporaries that half measures will simply no longer do.
Rating: 8/10
The Ailing Facade is out now via Profound Lore Records.
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