#Aesthus 🇫🇮 Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa

Band: Aesthus
Title: Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa
Label: Purity Through Fire
Release date: 21 March 2022
Country: Finland
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording

Ahh Finnish Metal… I must start my writing saying that it never disappoints. And talking about Black Metal, these guys in Aesthus really know how to imprint the exact amount of fierceness and strength (well mixed with that kind of melancholy that only Finns can deliver) all along “Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa”, their debut album. Being formed in 2017, and after their demo from 2020, it took 2 more years for the band to release this 7 track album. And the result is simply impressive!

First of all, let me introduce you the musicians in the band:

Nachash – guitars
Morbus – guitars
Adversa – vocals, lyrics
J.A. (Jere Altonen) – drums
Veles – bass

“Hänen temppelinsä varjoissa” (meaning “In the shadow of their temple”) starts with the self-titled song and it’s a clear exhibition of Black Metal in its pure form: drums blasting mercilessly, guitars entwining in sick tremolo riffs that are repeated all along the track, still allowing the bass to be heard, and those shrieks distilling rage and evil equally… woah, it has everything! And the fact that the vocalist uses his mother tongue is always a plus for me, talking about Finnish bands: I love how strong this language sounds, fitting perfectly the most extreme Metal genres.

It’s not that the entire album runs at ultra high speed, but when it does it’s simply fantastic. Like the second track, “Vihani alttarilla” (which means “At the altar of my wrath”), it runs almost entirely in a frantic and merciless pace, drums are smashed with fury and guitars play like crazy. Also in “Kuolonpolku” (“The Path of Death”), when drums totally unleash and tremolo picking simply pierces your brain, along with some inhuman screams, I’m melting! The fast pace is only broken during a short moment and this serves as a springboard to finish the track at full throttle.

This album is really strong and vibrant, there are also a lot of melodies that give it a spectacular sound. Like in “Jälkeläinen” (“Descendant”), I can lose my mind in all those melodic tremolo riffs, while enjoying the audible bass… what a brilliant work!

And… I must make a special mention to the last track, “Tyhjyys, ikuinen kuolema” (“Emptiness, eternal death”). This is a different beast from the rest of the songs. It’s truly emotional, melancholic, it runs for 10 minutes and it has a big sense of despair in the vocals (they even sound darker here), and there are some clean vocals near the end that provide an extra amount of sorrow. Some bestial shrieks give me goosebumps, and the use of keyboards in this song is subtle but effective, enhancing the somber atmosphere and the melancholic feel. A truly masterpiece to end an outstanding debut album. I give it 9,5/10 Sílvia

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9,5/10 Epic Storm
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