Aodon – Portraits (Emotional Atmospheric Black Metal)

 

Again I’m convinced only the French can pull this style off as well as they do. People always rip on French stereotypes, and maybe there’s occasionally some truth in it, but if there’s one stereotype of which they should be proud, it’s their absolute mastery of emotional, atmospheric black metal. I mean jeez every time I see those terms and know its from France I get my memories and tissues ready, because tears will ensue. Add to that an excellent, overreaching theme and purely controlled musical skill? Damn, Portraits is great.

   

I can’t remember if I had heard of Aodon before this moment. Probably. Actually, probably not because I doubt I would have forgotten them. Portraits is conceived of as a “journey into human nature” with each track representative of a character, fictitious or real. Brief searches of some of them, such as “Miquella,” suggest inspiration from dark fantasy, but this is never entirely clear. What’s clear are the separate themes of the songs, which come out completely in the musical arrangements. Looking for grief, misery, destruction, love, obedience, and other such dichotomies? Here you go. Aodon have put together a deep, introspective work that will pull emotions out of you forgot you could feel. It brings love back to the heart of the rejected and hate back to the heart of the admired.

 

Aodon Official Facebook

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Aodon – Portraits
Willowtip Records
Cover Art: Alex Eckman-Lawn
4.8 / 5