Style: Melodic black/death metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: Madness, loss of control, powers beyond mortal comprehension
Thoughts: Sulphur Aeon are the masters of album titles, including one of my favorite album titles ever: The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos. Seven Crowns and Seven Seals is not nearly a strong of an album title as the previous effort - did that deter me from checking the album out right away? Yeah it actually did.
The band took so long between efforts that I was pretty disinterested in the album when it first dropped. Sure I'll still listen to Gateways to the Antisphere and Scythe on a semi-regular basis but any desire I had for new material had faded a few years back.
Eventually I did check out the album and my first impression was an overwhelming "meh." The intensity and the vitriol form the previous release didn't seem to be found anywhere on this album. In its place was what seemed like a strangely melodic version of the band. Sure they still had moments of brutality and the incredible atmosphere from the previous album showed up every now and then... but something was missing.
Turns out after a few more listens what was missing was my willingness to accept that the band had evolved their sound. Those strange melodies that I heard my first time? Yeah, they aren't strange. They are incredibly well crafted and intricately designed to draw the listener into a world of swirling chaos and unimaginable horrors.
The band has lured me into a false sense of security. By hearing melody I immediately dismissed it as the band "going soft." Sure they used it in copious amounts before but the cosmic horror ethos was always the primary focus. This is still very much the case, but the melody is used as an enticing morsel to lure you in, before the true horror that is Sulphur Aeon takes hold. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. The band had ensnared me again.
Maybe the best example of this is found on The Yearning Abyss Devours Us. It starts off with with a hypnotic melody that crashes in out of no where. The rest of the band accents the main guitar riff and builds it up into this massive behemoth before the vocals even start. The band then shifts into high gear for just a few moments before slowing down and introducing clean vocals. This was a pretty big surprise for me, especially considering how brutal the band had been in the past.
As the song progresses the melody is still there but the riffs slowly shift towards being more chromatic. The melody becomes more chord driven rather than individual notes. Those chords begin to shift into a more rhythmic form as the song progresses into its later stages. Before you know it the band has shifted into the same cosmic horror that they are so renowned for. It's still here, it's just hiding. Much like the horrors that they sing about, they only make themselves seen when they want to be.
Seven Crowns and Seven Seals now has it's claws solidly into me. It took a few listens but this shit rips. The whole album effectively uses melody and the rhythmical chaos of before in perfect equilibrium. I hope its not another 4-5 years before we hear from these guys again. Either way though this is an incredibly strong entry into their discography.
Written January 11th 2024
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