Aevum - Glitch

Aevum

Glitch

by Kevin Lewis at 23 May 2022, 2:57 PM

Since their formation in 2007, AEVUM have released four full-length albums. Made up of Italian and French musicians, they are a dark, symphonic, gothic metal band that loves to create cinematic soundscapes to haunt their listeners. “Glitch,” their latest offering, released April 15th, 2022, via DarkTunes Music Group.

The album opens with a keyboard heavy song, “Lullaby,” that relies on ambient guitar tones to accompany the keys more than a heavy riff. There is a cool riff present, it just is not the focus. The rhythm is excellent. I really like how the vocals are all over the place. Clean male with distortion, growled male, ethereal female vocals and even scattered whispers. There is a lot to digest, and I love them for it. This is not cookie cutter Gothic Metal; it fills a massive space by using all eight musicians optimally.

“Black Swan Theory” has a bit more focus on the heavy riff, letting the keyboards play the fills this time to compliment the guitars. There are a few progressive metal elements to this song, adding even more complexity and depth to the sound AEVUM builds. This is the sound AMARANTHE might have if they got out of their pop phase. This is heavier, darker and bigger. They use the instruments to support the vocals and the vocals to augment the instruments. It’s a symbiotic relationship that I support whole heartedly.

Moving down to “The Traitor,” we have a song that starts with a seriously Bob Daisley keyboard intro. That could have opened an OZZY OSBOURNE song from the early 80s. Thank you for this. Those tones lead into the song beautifully. The drums shine through on this song with those shifts from near blast beats to the asynchronous fills. The clean and growled male vocals singing the same lyrics are worth noting as well.

“Lucretia” opens with an almost techno piece on keyboards and those continue through most of the song. It took a few listens to get this one into my brain. I was thinking they were trying to cross genres and reach beyond their scope, but it actually works within their Gothic stylings. Then, they add more by throwing in some Industrial Metal. It still works.

The surprise on this disc is “Poker Face.” Yes, a Gothic Metal band covered LADY GAGA, and did it well. They changed it up enough that it is distinctly theirs, yet still recognizable to those who know the song.

This band has a lot more range than I originally thought they did. One listen to this record will not get you enough information. There is just too much to process. I had to give this one a number of plays, and I’m glad I did. Every trip through the track list gave me something new to hear. The music is complex, but also coherent. There is no randomness or chaos here. Everything is planned and executed with precision.

AEVUM is a wild ride, but worth it. There are some massive roller coaster effects on this record, and that is part of the appeal. This is a band that can actually take you on the ride and make you like it.

Songwriting:  10
Musicianship:  10
Memorability:  9
Production:  9