For some time now, black metal has been a hell of a soundscape for every possible reason given all that of the talent, innovation, and exploration that the genre has long boasted. Yet, that doesn’t always mean that every venture into a new direction, however slight or bold it may be, taps into the latent potential that black metal always has lurking underneath its surface, ready for any worthwhile prospectors to unearth it. Having been around for ten years, Aodon has made a name for itself by exploring those very depths, but it’s with their fourth effort that the name has achieved something particularly special.
When bending the rules of reality and everything that comes with it, one does not tend to take that journey into the aural realms with black metal as the chosen medium, but it is absolutely possible for those that are able to channel their vision and harness the power of this genre in such a way that leaves a real impact on both body and soul. Everything that has been summoned forth in order to bring “Khamsin” to life is nothing short of black metal that seeks to penetrate every facet of your spirit with Aodon bringing it all together magnificently with virtually every given inch of this performance the sort of work that both demands multiple listens lest you miss a key aspect of the work and lures you ever deeper into the swirling whirlwind of evocative black metal that Aodon wields with masterful intent and precision. Throughout “Khamsin”, we’re granted an approach to the genre that we’re rarely treated to with each of these eight tracks not just expansive, but downright transformative and kaleidoscopic at times. Aodon never fully plays by the rules in order for their evocative and multi-dimensional sound to fully blossom into something that you become wholly swallowed by with no hope of escape for no matter how beautiful and captivating “Khamsin” can become, it remains a hostile work that is always seeking for room to grow no matter who’s in the way.
Works such as this are what much of black metal strives to achieve in some form or another, but it is here that Aodon proves themselves to be very apart from much of the competition. What this French has accomplished in these eight tracks are more than worthy of investigation and the very sort of artistic majesty paired with raw evocative excellence that many of us are always clamoring for. “Khamsin” may not be the type of black metal that catches the drift of every listener, but one cannot deny the splendid craftsmanship and deep emotion that came together to bring such a rich album to life.
“Khamsin” releases on November 27th via Transcending Obscurity Records!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Khamsin” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Aodon on Facebook here.
FOLLOW Aodon on Instagram here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwl9Ioh-ouE