Black Aeons emerges from Germany’s metal scene with their debut album Entering the Shadows, a powerful blend of myth-inspired themes and melodic black-death metal, rooted in 90s influences.
1.
Congratulations on your debut album, Entering the Shadows! Can you
tell us about the journey of creating this album and how Black Aeons was
formed?
First of
all, thanks for the congratulations.
Black Aeons
was originally founded in 2002 by a friend of mine and myself. At that time, we
were both 24 years old and big fans of old school black- and death metal, which
we grew up with in the 90s. We did a few own songs together but never made it
on stage. Unfortunately we had to put the band on hold because of our studies.
After graduating, we both went separate ways due to our jobs.
In 2017,
after a long period of musical inactivity (due to job and family formation), I
decided to reactivate the band. I then started writing and recording new songs
on my own. At the same time, I was looking for new bandmembers with the aim of
bringing my music to the stage.
In
September 2022 I then had twelve new songs which I released as demos via Bandcamp.
At that time Mario Dahmen of Liquid Aether Audio became aware of Black Aeons
and contacted me with the idea to mix and master my songs professionally. I was
totally thrilled about the idea to make a professional mixed and mastered
album. And so my bandmate Jürgen G. who joined the band in 2019 and I (guitars,
bass, synth and vocals) started to record the tracks for our debut album
"Entering the Shadows".
In 2023
Alex J. joined the band as our new drummer. Alex, who is the founder of
the Atmospheric Post-Black Metal band "A Somber Funeral" is also
owner of the label "Silent Watcher Records". So he offered to release
the album via his label. And here we are...
2. The
album draws from deep mythological themes, particularly Greek and Nordic
mythology. What inspired you to explore these topics, and how do they relate to
the themes of death and war in your music?
History and
mythology have fascinated me since I was a child. Especially the ancient Greece
with its myths of gods and heroes, the Viking age and the two World Wars have
drawn my attention. These themes therefore serve as inspiration for my song
lyrics. In my opinion, the deep mythological themes of Greek and Norse
mythology in particular offer rich narratives and symbolism that resonate
with concepts of death and war. These mythologies often deal with the human
experience, illustrating timeless struggles and archetypes that can reflect the
darker aspects of life, such as conflict, fate and the afterlife.
3. Entering
the Shadows has been described as a melodic black-death metal
experience. Could you walk us through how you approached blending these genres
to create the unique sound on this album?
As I 've
already mentioned above I grew up with black and death metal music from the
90s. I think this is where I draw my greatest inspiration from, which is also
reflected in the songs. I love the mixture of both genres with varying strong
influences of harmony like Dissection did for instance. Important for me is
that my songs have melody and atmosphere. So I try to incorporate melodic
guitar riffs and atmospheric keyboards that help to create a haunting and
immersive sound characteristic. For me, this adds an emotional depth to the
music. This combined with a certain aggressiveness by implementing fast-paced
drumming and my vocal style helps in my opinion to maintain a powerful energy
throughout the tracks.
During the
mixing process Mario utilized specific production techniques, such as layered
instrumentation and the use of reverb to achieve a polished yet raw but
distinct sound that in my eyes honors the traditions of both melodic black
metal and death metal while pushing the boundaries of our music.
4. With
influences from iconic bands like Dissection, Unanimated, and Sacramentum, how
did you incorporate these inspirations while establishing a distinct sound for
Black Aeons?
I see these
bands as my main influences of course, but as I mentioned before, I have many
other influences as well. These influences in combination with the mixing
techniques used by Mario are what make our sound distinct.
5. You
recorded most of the album in your home studio, with drums tracked at LIQUID
AETHER Audio. How did this setup impact the album’s production, and what was it
like working with Mario Dahmen for mixing and mastering?
The
recording of the guitars, bass and vocals in my home studio was a bit of a
challenge and took a lot of time I've to admit. But Mario was extremely helpful
and always patiently answered all our questions. For the drum tracks I had
already created midis in advance to give Mario an idea. I think he did an
extraordinary job tracking the drums while bringing his own style. His drumming
has taken our album to another level. This definitely made an impact on the
album production. Working with Mario for mixing and mastering was an
outstanding experience. He took an incredible amount of time to understand our
vision and wishes and the result speaks for itself. Mario has created a
fantastic sound that perfectly showcases our music.
6. Songs
like “Ode to Ares” and “Path to Valhalla” seem to evoke powerful narratives.
Could you share the stories behind some of the tracks and what they represent?
As the
titles already suggest, the songs are about Greek resp. Norse mythology, two of
my favourite themes. "Ode to Ares" is, as the name implies about Ares
the greek god of war. In ancient Greece, any poetry recited to the
accompaniment of music was called an ode. That's why I decided on the song
title. The idea of depicting this character as one of the central figures in
the world of the greek gods in poemlike lyrics with all its facets was very
interesting to me. "Path to Valhalla" relates to the death of Bjorn
Ironside and his path to Valhalla. I wanted to catch the feelings I
experienced in the TV series Vikings with an instrumental song. Also, my wife
wanted a song without vocals 😉.
7. As a
band rooted in Germany, how has your local metal scene influenced Black Aeons'
musical direction, if at all?
With great
bands like Thulcandra, Groza, The Spirit, Night in Gales etc., the metal scene
in Germany has a lot to offer and certainly has an influence on me and my
songwriting. But my main influences come from Scandinavia. Sorry Germany 😉.
8. For a
first release, Entering the Shadows is packed with 12 tracks.
Was there a reason behind such a full-length debut, and how did you choose
which tracks made the final cut?
Yes, 12 songs is quite a lot for a debut album. But with "Vive la Mort" and "Path to Valhalla" there are also two short instrumentals included. I thought, if I'm going to do an album, I'll do it properly and make a full length album. Alex, Jürgen and I then thought about which songs of my demos could fit on the album and in which order they should appear. For example, the tracks ‘Spirit of Vengeance’ and ‘Buried Alive’ didn't make it onto the album. Instead, the songs ‘Beast of Steel’ and ‘Shadow of a Dying Light’ were added. In the end, I think we've found a good mixture with the twelve chosen tracks.
9.
Looking ahead, what do you hope listeners take away from Entering the
Shadows, and what’s next for Black Aeons following the album's release?
Firstly, I
am very proud to have my own album. This would not have been possible without
the support and understanding of my wife and children. And if the listeners
also like my music and it evokes something in them, then that's the cherry on
the cake. After the release of "Entering the Shadows", Alex and I
will concentrate on the recording of the next "A Somber Funeral"
album which will be released in 2025. We also plan to bring Black Aeons
to the stage in 2025. Furthermore, I'll write new material for the next Black
Aeons album.
BLACK AEONS - All Life Gone // Melodic Black-Death Metal
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