AETHEREUS
Leiden
2022, The Artisan Era
I do enjoy progressive/technical death metal. I must confess though, it does get tiring always being so very Ettech, and it seems to my ear at least that many bands suffer the same fate of production quality - way too much compression, and way too much high end. The genre itself has players and labels that you can put money on who always deliver consistency - not unlike bygone, umm, eras… Somewhat new to the game are AETHEREUS and their new opus Leiden, out now on The Artisan Era (coincidentally one of those labels with a “sound” profile for whatever that is worth these days.)
At this stage, everything hot off the presses you will listen to came from within the pandemic, so that in and of itself becomes less and less of a selling point on new music. But, you know what is a selling point? This amazing bit from the one sheeter: “In the wake of 2020's pandemic-induced tour cancellations, the band decided to make lemonade…” Okay, I’m in.
There isn’t a song on Leiden shorter than five minutes, but don’t expect pure progressive polyrhythm pomposity. AETHEREUS have imbued their musical maelstrom with immediacy inside the noodlry - a rare treat for a style that can sometimes seem not only self-indulgent but also a tad wandery. That high end is really prominent at the beginning of things, with “Aberration” definitely punching up - but don’t fret (pun definitely intended) - there is a lot going on here. Lush orchestration, including strings and a bit of synth, underpin the proceedings but not in a cheesy way - care was obviously taken to make sure every piece of the AETHEREUS puzzle fits. From track to track, Leiden is a dizzying effort.
I think I have listened to “Behold, The World Eater” about 20 times now and every time it gives a different return. If you are looking for a distillation of what Leiden is about, start there. I mean, the song is basically perfect.
In terms of a full length debut, and any attendant expectations, Leiden exceeds them all. In an oversaturated corner of the metalsphere, AETHEREUS are absolutely poised to stand out. With the right push, and the right luck, they will be the next big thing on your newsfeed.
3.75 Out Of 5.0
