Towards Atlantis Lights - Dust Of Aeons review
Band: | Towards Atlantis Lights |
Album: | Dust Of Aeons |
Style: | Funeral doom metal |
Release date: | March 2018 |
01. The Bunker Of Life
02. Babylon's Hanging Gardens
03. Alexandria's Library
04. Greeting Mausolus' Tomb
Do you cringe every time you hear the word "supergroup", just like I do? Well, then let me tell you that what we have here is an exception to the rule of great musicians getting together and forming a band only to produce poor results. Towards Atlantis Lights is one of the few supergroups that actually justifies the title with some splendid musical output.
The combined talent of members of acclaimed acts such as Pantheïst, Aphonic Threnody and Void Of Silence has gifted us with Dust Of Aeons, a funereal and atmospheric death/doom record, filled with nostalgic grief and immersed in a dreamlike and mesmerising ambiance. Kostas Panagiotou's monastic clean vocals and devastating growls narrate tales of ancient glory as well as shame, embellished by Ivan Zara's captivating guitar melodies and mournful riffs.
The band's ambition is evident from the bold choice of opening the album with a 30-minute epic monster. "The Bunker Of Life" is a colossal doom masterpiece, diving lyrically into humanity's collective unconscious and offering a heart-wrenching and dramatic aural experience. The sombre piano melody towards the end of it leads to "Babylon's Hanging Gardens", which asks questions about the essence of life that have perpetually remained unanswered. Each pounding chord sounds like a shovel digging deeper into the wisdom and the cultural achievements of aeons past.
Dust Of Aeons is a hopeless depiction of mankind's road to ruin, caused by the domination of materialism over spiritual values. The romantic and trudging 16 minutes of "Alexandria's Library" lament the burning of knowledge and the cut of the umbilical cord with archaic tradition after years of strife and discord. The duelling guitar harmonies of "Greeting Mausolus' Tomb" penetrate your soul as they draw the album to a close, with Kostas Panagiotou spitting out the lyrics with anger and contempt towards human vanity. Choosing the last surviving of the six destroyed wonders of the Ancient World to conclude Dust Of Aeons undoubtedly bears a symbolic character.
The only complaint I have about this magnificent effort is the relatively bland and lifeless production. The vocals often sound buried in the mix and I would have preferred a fuller and more organic drum sound. However, the music is so compelling and the storytelling so spellbinding that it is impossible not to get entirely consumed by the despair that pours out of your speakers (or headphones).
Enchanting, yet crushing, the debut by Towards Atlantis Lights is a stunning soundtrack of a story inspired by ancient civilizations. Listen and see in your mind's eye their rise and fall.
"So wipe these tears and move on now,
Knowing that Alexandria's Library
Perished for a reason?"
| Written on 22.03.2018 by Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud! |
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