Aabode – Neo-Age

Released almost a year ago via Godz ov War Productions, Neo-Age is debut full-length by French duo going under the moniker of Aabode. At first I couldn’t belive it was a release from this Polish extreme metal label who’re mostly known for releasing high-quality black and other forms of more traditional extreme metal. That’s where the release of Neo-Age took me by surprise, as this duo from Nancy is playing some sort of a mix of death, industrial and post black metal.

Tracklist:

1. Coral

2. Perpetual

3. Ayre

4. De-Vore

5. Neo-Age

6. 2047 YOD

7. Rem(a)inder

Thus, Neo-Age is Aabode’s debut full-length comprised of seven quite lengthy tracks, spanning nearly forty minutes of intense, chaotic and unconventional metal. In other words; Neo-Age is a volatile and unpredictable blend of the aforementioned genres, built on chaotic structures, dissonant industrial riffs and occasional (programmed!?) drum blast beats. The vocals are as varied as the musical foundation, raging from noisy, over guttural and shrieking, to more traditional metal vocals. The surrounding atmosphere feels dense, desolate and mechanized, but it fits the overall experimental and dystopian concept of the band very well.

As an old school metalhead I would like to emphasise the song called “Perpetual” as it has some of the heaviest parts on this record. Another equally strong is the following “Ayre”combining the suffocating darkness with the industrial chill, reminiscent of the likes of Ministry.

While listening to Neo-Age it sounds as it is painting this unfamiliar landscape of harsh industrial tapestries with brilliance. As for the artwork, it is the work of a very talented artist, Stefan Thanneur. The result is this simply magnificent and beautiful cover that perfectly fits to the overall concept of the band.

Conlusion; with the release of Neo-Age this strange French duo has achieved one of the strangest, untraditional and experimental fusions that I have ever heard. This pretty much complex (it demands your full attention) and untraditional album might not be for everyone, but fans of experimental and avantgarde extreme music, will find something worth of further exploration.

For more information on this particular release go to their bandcamp. Meanwhile, the whole album can be listened below.