ACTAEON

Judging from the colours and the aggressive letter font on Aberrant Vascular's first EP cover, one could easily assume that this is definitely a black metal album... If - to these first impressions - you add the fact that the band comes from Finland (a definitive birthplace of black metal...) then there is no doubt that your assumptions are not too far off the truth. Right?

Right. Too my ears this interesting first EP sounds like a 'modernised' and 'innovated' approach to technical black metal. The guitars and the overall atmosphere might not relate directly to what someone would perceive as black metal, but the totally avant-garde approach, the typical blast-beat breaks, short chaotic intervals and the (indeed competent) operatic vocals bring into mind bands like Arcturus, Covenant, Therion, Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. I could not easily categorise AV into prog metal, as there are no distinct elements in relation to classic 'prog' - however innovation is present. Heavy guitars interchange with pianos and violins and operatic vocals co-exist with brutal ones.

Both tracks on this EP are quite interesting - possibly this will apply to fans of more extreme metal music. I found the production to be quite neat, although the keyboards and pianos seem to be a bit 'above' the rest. The track that presents the most challenges is Ekpyrosis (from the Greek word that means: the destruction of an item from fire) with many changes in rhythm and atmosphere. However, the opening track (more Therion-oriented) has also its moments - the most interesting being a section with beautiful operatic vocals accompanied only by keyboards. Certainly, and judging from the fact that this is their first EP, AV show a potential for more complete albums in the future.

Worth giving it a try - especially for fans of Arcturus and related bands.

Progressive Black Metal? Possibly...