For a little while a few years ago, melodic death metal had quite a boom that spawned just as many pretenders as it did quality acts that knew what they were doing. There were just so many of them! At some point, many began to fall off while others rose through the ranks with the latter obviously shining brighter than the others. It can be easy to write off a newer name if it hasn’t done anything big or grand in its run no matter how long the act may have been around for. Despite getting its start four years ago, it’s only now that Aeon of Awareness is poised to release their first full-length album, but do not let that length of time make you think the band has been stagnant nor does it lack anything in ways of quality.

It can be all too easy for a band to find itself firmly placed within the stylistic tendencies of either the old school or the new school of craftsmanship when it comes to bringing their particular sound together. Both have more than enough merits and strengths to call their own, but it can be an exceptional performance to see a band try to bridge the two in an attempt that can as easily be something fascinating to look upon as it can fall apart in an instant. With all that they’ve accomplished within “The Embracing Light of Rarohenga”, Aeon of Awareness more than delivers both schools of learning with more than enough tact and splendor to really show us what they can do right out of the gate. Laced with all the rhythms and catchy hooks that one could ask for out of a solid work of melodic death metal while always leaving more than enough room for expansion and influences from other styles to ensure that their own personality bleeds through in damn near every given moment, this is a work that’s clearly born out of a deep love for the genre whilst hoping to leave one’s mark upon the sound. Aeon of Awareness may not be the freshest nor the most experienced act that melodic death metal has come around in its time, but it’s for the whole of “The Embracing Light of Rarohenga” that we’re granted a vision that’s simply engaging from top to bottom without exception.

What Aeon of Awareness taps into here is nothing short of what many can come to expect from top tier acts of the sound. Even if we were to do aware with the fact that this is but the band’s first full-length album, Aeon of Awareness has thrown something very interesting down with practically all the marks of greatness in the making. “The Embracing Light of Rarohenga” is many things with its accolades more than paving the way for a band’s future that is no less than immensely promising given all they’ve done here.

“The Embracing Light of Rarohenga” releases on January 17th!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Embracing Light of Rarohenga” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.

LIKE Aeon of Awareness on Facebook here.