Aeons – The Ghosts Of What We Knew (2024) – Review

Now, wait a minute. The Isle of Man usually shines with its rebellious streak and – those totally crazy bike races. You know, these maniacs roaring about narrow country roads and trying not to end up as road kill.

But there’s more. Aeons dwell there, too. A band on the edge of prog with serious boy-band issues. And a knack for straying into nu territory and insisting on anything ‘core’. The RMR crew called them a band at a crossroads on Consequences, their last record. And the question is, have Aeons passed beyond their past alleged sins? Purgatory or redemption, that is the question. Because, the folks over at the RMR office tower still ain’t fond of ‘core

Well, if there’s a consistent DNA in bands, then Aeons is a good example. The Ghosts of What We Knew – apart from killing our SEO scores with its mighty title length – surely is a potent continuation of what came before. You won’t find any stunning change o’ style and mood, and we appreciate that. Why would they want to change a well-fed racehorse, right?

The former overarching and ever-present bombast ain’t as prevalent anymore. Instead, a pretty hefty swagger of a band sure of itself installed itself. The Progressive Metal on offer sports some real refreshing bite this time. Yet, its advanced djentology mingles with Deathcore and some hints of its ugly cousin Metalcore only uneasily. Meaning, too often you get those vibes of Thy Art is Murder or – again – Whitechapel. But there’s just not enough true prog from the likes of good ol’ Steven Wilson. Beatz from the times when the latter still did excellent prog, that is. As of recently, he’s gone full-tilt pop, which is great for swifties but less so for our tortured metal souls.

Compared to its predecessor, TGoWWK‘s feistiness of the core-ish elements reached new heights in the loudness war, though. Punkish and brutal, those passages hit hard to the point of making your frontal lobe vibrate. And to be frank, these parts contain some of the best cuts of ‘core’ on RMR to date. Then again, suddenly the specter of long-gone boy band pleasures with some hints toward a Lucassen-style¹ overproduction appears (Blood, for instance). And all that spicy jambalaya of styles and moods roars forth on a surge of excellent solos, shreds, and riffs, seconded only by truly snazzy stick-wielding. Those two instruments together with the nimble airs of the vocalist maintain a delicate grip on a pretty frail construct. In other words, The Ghosts Of What We Knew often feels somewhat disjointed and compartmentalized.

A bit more in detail, once prog is on the menu, the prog is great (Circles and Thanatos, for example). If Aeons give in to their core-ish urges, the quality is pretty much outstanding. Boy, the RMR crew loved the ambient intros on a number of songs and the succulent piano interludes with an almost baroque aftertaste.² And then – cringe begone – some hints to Slipknot and terrible Nu Metal still waft up from the underground sometimes. Sadly, all these styles and flavors somehow fail to coalesce into a smooth and coherent amalgamation.

Ultimately though, TGoWWK still turned into a very good record. It is a pity that Aeons couldn’t create that smooth flow necessary to merge totally different styles and make them make sense. After all, this band sports a ton of talent, and they’ll be able to kick it up a few notches to enter territories where great records dwell. As of now, they’re not yet too far away from the aforementioned crossroads. But we’re sure they’ll take on some steam on this road to greatness – in time.

Ed’s note: New clip’s out. Machines it is called. Check it out.

Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Sliptrick Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 2 July 2024

1. As in Arjen Lucassen – Ayreon, The Gentle Storm, Stream of Passion. Prog master extraordinaire.-↩
2. The harpsichord somehow traipsed about backstage.-↩