There have been many albums that I’ve had the fortune of coming across that are simply light devouring in their nature as it’s those occasional albums that seek to envelop all of creation if given the chance, and it’s led to some very potent records that are just as menacing as they are bewildering. It’s been for years that acts like that have caught my eye from more well-known works like Esoctrilihum to Howls of Ebb to tonight where I sat down and heard the latest EP of the voracious Aeon Patronist who doesn’t let even the smallest shred of existence slip through its fingers.

Now, putting Aeon Patronist in the same sentence as the likes of Howls of Ebb and Esoctrilihum might be a bit of a stretch as it’s with this band that we don’t get that ultra-crazy instrumentation and exotically menacing splendor. The blackened death metal that’s on constant display with “Mortal Prosternation”, though, could very well be the building blocks for getting to such a level, and the pure wonder that Aeon Patronist displays from one track to the next with this fantastically wild album shows there’s a calculated menace to this act. And to put it simply, it’s like very few other acts that I’ve come across. There’s so much to offer within the caustic confines of “Mortal Prosternation” that enables Aeon Patronist to put forth a performance that can easily and seamlessly transition from a voracious display of power that could consume the very light of the universe to a dense atmosphere that peers into your very soul that, albeit not very often in appearing, is immensely potent. Then there’s the constant moving forward nature of this record that keeps it moving, never stopping for too long to squander on some feeble riff or let the atmosphere oversaturate itself. From beginning to end, “Mortal Prosternation” is a visceral listen that is a very welcome experience for the likes of people like me who actively seek out challenging listens that push the very boundaries of approachable music, and it’s a nightmare to people hoping for a pleasant listen.

I cannot help but see this gloriously dark EP as the first proper step down a destructive path for Aeon Patronist as they clearly have the power to bring forth an experience that’s no less than acidic. The confines of “Mortal Prosternation” are the sort of thing that I could lose myself in, and the name of Aeon Patronist is one that I will surely come crawling back to as they bring those devilish treats of magnificent darkness that’s all but intoxicating in its best moments.

LISTEN to “Mortal Prosternation” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Aeon Patronist on Facebook here.