MusicKidMp3 : Tales of Our Times (Album) by Aetherian

Skullkid755 Any death metalhead knows about Aetherian. Aetherian probably introduced them to the genre. Because, well, listen to this story. A kid called Leon became interested in death metal, so he searched up death metal on YouTube. And the first result? Their first and so far only music video (besides lyric videos), which is for The Rain. He didn't like the vocals, but he went back to it every once in a while. He likes the vocals now and can understand what Panos Leakos (bassist and singer) is saying. Now it's one of his favorite songs currently. Now Aetherian is one of his favorite top 10 metal bands. He looks forward to their next album, which last time he checked, is coming out next month 😂. In this review I'm gonna review their debut EP, Tales of Our Times. Time for the deathly review.

Whispers in the Wind : Basically, this song is nothing but music. But it's amazing music. It starts off with some pretty good acoustic melodies, calm and portray sorrow while also sounding mysterious at the same time. Then there is the electric guitar work. I like the transition from acoustic to electric. The acoustic guitar keeps going but the electric guitars get more prominent until they take over. And you can still hear the acoustic guitar a bit under the electrics. And after a single electric, it goes into dual electric mode. The two guitars harmonize well in my opinion. And the drumming doesn't stand out, but it still does it's job well by supporting the song. 10/10 instrumental. It's an instrumental masterpiece.

As Seasons Pass - This time we get heavier. And also this time, we get vocals. And they are pretty great in my opinion. Sure, they take time to get used to for a lot of people including me, and are hard to understand at some moments even after managing to appreciate them, but they are still great. It manages to be melodic despite being growled the majority of the time. And the guitar playing here, is also amazing. The single guitar and dual guitar playing, just amazing! The drumming is pretty good hear too, does it's job like in the previous track and while not being flashy, doesn't have to be. Sometimes simpler is sweeter. And then it goes into acoustic mode like the song before it. Sad melodies that go well with the meaningful, and surprisingly clean lyrics that are whispered. And that brings me to the lyrics. The lyrics of this song are original, interesting, and meaningful. It's about going through hardships in life, but still carrying on. I'm pretty sure this song saved a life. 10/10 song. Some pretty great, life saving lyrics to be found in this one.

For Those About To Fall - And here we have another heavy and aggressive yet melodic song. The lyrics are harder to interpret the meaning of than the previous track, which is about making it through hard times. The Rain (a single not from the album) and As Seasons Pass both have pretty good meaning though, and the music of this track has emotion in it. You know what, I'll just do interpret the meaning in another post. When I get that one done, I'll link it here. Now to review the other aspects of the song. Like the previous songs of the album, it's got great guitar playing. Dual guitar is pure magic for the ears. The guitar playing creates a dark and depressing atmosphere. And about 1 minute into the song becomes more angry and aggressive. It does this a few times and I like it. The drumming is good here like in previous tracks, it works as a supportive instrument. I'll give it a 10/10 like the previous 2 songs.

Tales of Our Times - And now we have the title track of this so far amazing album. And it starts off similar to the starting track because they both have mysterious and sorrowful acoustic guitar intros that transcend well into the distorted yet epic sound of electric guitars. Reminds me of Fade to Black actually. Now, I can't discuss the lyrics because I can't understand the vocals, and I can't find the lyrics in any written source. It's called Tales of Our Times to it's probably an auto-biographical song. Or maybe a fiction auto-biography song. Either way it's still a pretty good song. It's got the great guitar playing like all of the tracks before this one. And the drumming is supportive. A good drummer doesn't have to flash, a good drummer can just... I have no rhyme to go with that. Damn it. I'm giving this track an 9/10. If I knew the lyrics it would be 10/10. Would've been 8/10 if it weren't for the standout scream in the middle.

Dreary Voices - And now for the finally. And it's another Fade to Black. F888, I wish this band had more lyric videos in general. If their next album doesn't have enough of them for me I'm gonna make them fall on grass. But I'm sure with enough focus, I'll fully appreciate this song and the title track easily someday. If not today, then the next day. Then the next day. Then the next day. Then the next day. Then the next day. (Screams) Oh, it was just a dream. Back to the actual review. This song has got some pretty good guitar playing in it, such as the short but sweet solos. And then after being electric, it goes back into acoustic, with the same atmosphere of darkness and despair. Around the 2 minute mark, the drummer has his moment. He stands out. It goes quiet, and you hear the aggressive drumming that also works for a pretty good transition. And it makes the sound stand out even more. I don't know about the lyrics, but the guitar solos and standout moment for the drummer make up for me not understanding them. But it's not perfectly perfect. 9.5/10.

So now to rate and rank the instruments.

Guitar - Good riffs, the two harmonize well, and the solos in the last song are pretty good. 10/10
Drums - Not flashy, but still great at supporting the song. And in the last sound the instrument had it's moment. 9/10
Bass - Sadly couldn't hear it. But from what I heard, it's like that in a lot of death metal. And I don't want to bring down the album's rating to much. 7/10
Vocals - Take time to get used to, but when you do you appreciate them. Hard to understand though. 8/10

Now to average both of them out and then average out the two averages.

Average of the songs - 97/100 (A)
Average of the instruments - 85/100 (B)
Average of the averages - 91/100 (A)

Greatest song - As Seasons Pass
Least great song - Tales of Our Times

So, overall, I rate the album 91/100. It's a high recommend, it's just not perfect. The drums didn't stand out much and bassist didn't show up when they were recording. The guitarists of this band are amazing though. They play stuff that is both interesting and emotional, and also atmospheric. The acoustic intros. The electric guitar playing. And the transitions between the two. Also the vocals that take time to love and aren't easy to understand, but still pretty good. They all add up to make this one of my favorite metal albums to listen to. And the relistening value is actually increased by the challenging language of death metal. If you're interested in death metal, give it a listen. If you are already a death metalhead, also give it a listen. And maybe if you're outside of the two groups I mentioned maybe you'll like it. Metalheads in general would likely be a fan of it.

Comments

Ayyy

great album too - ProPanda (10/14/2017)

Pretty precise review in the sense that you really covered many things regarding these songs - Martinglez (10/14/2017)

I know more black metal then death metal bands, but I have never heard of them. Maybe I will try to find the album - visitor (10/14/2017)