CoC : Aeon - Demo #1 (3 tracks) and Demo #2 : Review

Aeon - _Demo #1_ (3 tracks) and _Demo #2_
by: Brian Meloon (not rated)

Wow ... death metal from Croatia. And impressive at that. Their first demo is from early 1993, and the second is from December, 1993. Both demos were recorded on only 8 tracks, and they suffer somewhat from this, but they still sound decent. _Demo #1_ (recorded under their former name Dissection) is straightforward death metal, with guttural vocals for the most part and heavy riffs. It's semi-melodic, a cross between Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse styles. Not too much new or innovative, but at least it's well played, and kind of catchy. These guys took a huge leap forward in musicianship for _Demo #2_. They changed their name to Aeon, lost a guitar player, added a keyboard player, and changed their style from straight ahead death to a progressive, melodic style reminiscent of Amorphis and Crypt of Kerberos. They also tend to sound like Nocturnus (keyboard-doubled guitar lines no less!). The best track on here is track 4, 'Gyratory Stars' (I think ... there are only five tracks, but there are six song titles in the J-card). It sounds like a cross between At the Gates and Amorphis' _Tales from the 1000 Lakes_. Again, the playing is very high quality, the drums are excellent, fast and precise, but more interesting this time, with some cool rhythms going on under the other music. The keyboards function both for atmosphere as well as melody. Guitar and bass work is quite technical, at least when playing rhythms. What keeps this release from being truly excellent are the guitar leads and solos which sound very amateurish, especially compared with their high quality of rhythm music. Still, this demo is one of the best I've heard. Apparently, these demos are no longer available, but there is a cassette EP scheduled for release in October/November. It may or may not be on Abstract Emotions (Barcelona), since Jordi Bellaubi is planning to start his own label, and Aeon are going to stick with him. I'm told this release will have more of a 'fusion' sound. Keep your eyes peeled for Aeon.

Contact: AEON, c/o Sinisa "Sipy" Bival, Laginjina 11,

(article published 2/9/1995)

ALBUMS
9/26/2007	J Smit	7.5	Aeon - Rise to Dominate
8/12/2001	A McKay	6.5	Aeon - Dark Order