There are an insurmountable amount of black metal bands to sift through with the digital age bringing so many new acts that it’s almost stupid, and it’s very often that we see bands taking the road through the classic years by making their style really icy and lo-fi or taking a more symphonic route. Other times, we get the newer trend of breath-taking atmospheric pieces that we get so often nowadays. But, it’s not all that often that we get an act that blends those two worlds without any sort of hesitation yet having a simply stunning execution. Aeon Winds has been far from silent since their last full-length album, but it’s with their newest that they show how magnificent such a concoction can be.

Such a combination sounds so amazingly obvious that I’m surprised not more bands are doing it more, but maybe I’m just a blind bastard that can’t see the throngs that are maybe right there. Oh well! Either way, it’s right off the bat with “Stormveiled” that Aeon Winds has returned to us with an album the likes of which that I’ve really been needing from black metal. It’s likely been since the last Ende record that I’ve heard anything so compelling that’s even close to what “Stormveiled” brings to the table, but even then this record stands leagues above its immediate competition as there isn’t a single thing about this glorious album that Aeon Winds didn’t pull off with utmost mastery. Bringing in sweeping melodies that effortlessly enhance gorgeous soundscapes paired with stunning symphonic elements that all come together beautifully to enable “Stormveiled” to quickly become a record that must be heard by any self-respecting fan of the genre. Aeon Winds brilliantly brings everything to the table that you could ask for out of an album like this that’s nothing short of a quality experience.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration for me to say that this was definitely one of the most memorable black metal tunes that I’ve heard this year, and I highly doubt that any band will be able to produce a sound such as this and pull it off with such sweeping success and deadly potency the likes of which “Stormveiled” brings in absolute heaps. Aeon Winds may still just be a band that has two full-lengths now under their belt, but their twelve years of activity, as well as their reverence and talent in the genre, give this record life that is nothing short of astoundingly intoxicating.

“Stormveiled” releases on July 12th via Avantgarde Music!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Stormveiled” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Aeon Winds on Facebook here.