Eldereon hailed from Spain, and were formed from the ashes of Moonshine in 2001. However, the band's roots can be traced as far as 1995, when they were known as Nekrom, so their old-sounding style isn't a surprise. After several demos and a split, the band created their sole full-length album, before splitting up in 2013. I guess it was the brainchild of Javier "Erun-Dagoth" Sixto, who is and has been in over 30 bands, and also run Morbid Shrine Productions and Khazad-Dûm Studios. Maybe Sixto said everything he/Eldereon had to say with this album. Two other members joined the band in 2010, so my bet is that they didn't get their say.

The cover of Eldereon's sole album is very reminiscent of Pestilence's 'Testimony of the Ancients': Both have this otherworldly cathedral with quite similar setup, and the album title's font is the same, as is its colouring. Well, 'Testimony...' came out in 1991 and Eldereon put their debut album out two decades later. Eldereon's music, while being old style death metal ("elder" and "aeon", I guess), isn't exactly similar to Dutch band's legendary platter, but bits and bops here and there. The thing is that while it sound ancient, it doesn't outright remind of any band, really. Still, is this album a worthy addition to old style death metal collection?

First, the production sounds really archaic. It is uneven and the bass guitar is the biggest underdog, while the drums and the guitars are okay, and the vocals are loudest element of all. Still at fastest parts it can get quite labyrinthine. Even if the production is generally crass, and not as unearthly as expected by seeing the cover art, it feels more at home this way than if it was packed into modern, plastic flair. The unclean sound goes rather well with the otherworldly painting. This was first released as a demo I believe, and two tracks were added for this label release, so there's the unrefined production explained.

However, the music is stronger. Ominous, evil and hateful riffs (from fast picking to heavier palm-muted ones) often backed by fast drumming are interrupted by slower parts of enchanting lead guitar playing, which equally sounds both English (very doomy and Earthly) and Swedish (more selcouth and icy). Momentary swooshes of synthesizer sounds bring in more of desired anomaly (hello there, 'Testimony...'), and so does the open-string guitar work with a peculiar tone. It all is close to The Chasm and such bands, carrying the archaic and transcendental spirit; a mixture of death, doom and black metal. It's really not far-fetched to hear this like Incantation meeting old Paradise Lost either. In the middle there's the Slayer cover 'Black Magic' made in Eldereon's style, and is a nice enough addition. The vocals are rattling and slimy growls on different pitches, and do sound inhuman, them croaks of evil.

The answer to the earlier question is that the album is worth trying for sure, but it's not a definitive must-have. It's a tad too demo-like in the end. The production certainly is such, and the drumming is at times fumbling; maybe too challenging beats were endeavored.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
05/15/2023 19:51