Éons

The Soundtrack to Hell

Eons reminded me of my first time hearing John Zorn "At the Mountain of Madness", except this is way darker and focuses more on atmosphere rather than virtuosic playing. I feel like my experience with this album will stick with me for a long time. It has such a consistent sound that never really falters from the dense, atmospheric hell-scape that the album begins with on "Daiitoku-Myoo No Odaiko". I keep relating this project to Hell, but honestly, I found a lot of moments on this album to be really beautiful. Maybe I find beauty in the chaos of it, or maybe there are just some genuinely beautiful moments. I can't tell what it is, but I can say it wasn't fear inducing the whole way through. Though some parts felt really scary. I also can't really name drop any songs because when I listened to this I wasn't paying attention to track titles, but I remember the first part "To The Earth" (tracks 1-6) were the best and I was HOOKED after hearing just the first couple of tracks.
There weren't any songs that felt out of place throughout the whole run time, but the 2nd part "To The Moon" gets criticized for being too "samey". I didn't get this at all. It felt a bit repetitive at times but I enjoy that aspect in music, and I certainly enjoyed it a ton here. The final part, "To the Sun" is tied with the first part for me. It features the two longest tracks and they don't disappoint at all, offering more of that hellish atmosphere.

The sound of this record is otherworldly. It is nuanced to oblivion which excites me a lot because I know I'll find something new on a relisten. The drumming and percussive elements are very consistent and don't do anything too crazy, but paired with the saxophone, droning noises, deep bass and the ritualistic vocals, they couldn't be more better placed. There are a few drone tracks here and there which offer a nice break from the chaotic energy in most of the other tracks. I personally really enjoyed these, which isn't saying much because I gave this album a 10 (I enjoyed everything and beyond).

If I had to recommend this album to anyone, I'd first ask them if they like Avant garde jazz. And then I'd say, "how about drone metal?". Combine those two (and also add in some tribal ambiance) and you have this album. Also, just look at that cover. This album sounds like the cover.

(Might be coming back to this review in the future after multiple relistens)