Forked Tongues: Aeons – Hordes X 2022 interviews
Metal spawns in the strangest of places. At Slow Dragon Music we love to interact with artists from such places; Scotland based – global mindset.
This year, Hordes sees it’s debut of Aeons, from The Isle Of Man. This progressive metal band are a sterling example of well written, professionally produced, heavy music. However, their home is somewhat out on the edges of our society. Does this make them feel isolated from the rest of the metal world?
Joe Holland (bass): “A little, but perhaps less than you’d think. Despite being such a small island, there are a wealth of metal and punk bands that we often share gigs with. The small scale of where we live means that the metal bands that are here know they have to stick together, and support one-another, fostering a great live metal music scene.There are a good number of metal and punk bands that means that when we do play, the fans of one band are introduced to the music of another and we can grow our (albeit local) fan-base’s one show at a time.”
Simon Harvey (guitars/vocals): “It also means that, because we don’t tend to play a lot, we are a big draw when we do. A local market can easily become over saturated.”
JH: “As I’ve mentioned, not only is there enough bands to fuel the scene, but having such an insular place to write, rehearse, and perform means that each band that makes up the IoM metal scene can call upon another if they need support, a place to write, or even to borrow some gear!“
It is great to hear the tale of a community pulling together. However, one imagines there are further internal advantages to this isolation. For example, do the band feel it allows them more breathing space in the creative process?
JH: “The isolation, while frustrating when trying to grow a band, does allow us space to write at whatever pace we set.”
“It’s not just the logistics of Island living that dictate our writing; the landscape, and climate of the island is perfect when crafting songs with a focus on scale. Although we have more songs about intergalactic isolation than inter-island isolation, the inclement weather, and the harsh environment definitely sneak their way into our sonic palette.“
SH: “Also, there is a benefit to small, local scenes where diversity in music is welcomed, as there isn’t enough of one type of “sub-genre” to dominate. That promotes creativity, and respect for music genres outside of your own. That’s great for making a band sound unique.“
Aeons – Consequences (album)
Release date: 10th September 2021||Genre: Progressive metal||Label: Self released
Barely a year old, Consequences is the second album from Isle Of Man’s prog metallers, Aeons.
At the kick-off of track one, Rubicon, the Meshuggah-isms abound, but this is no clone. No one trick pony. It’s not long before you feel like you’ve been dropped into big pot of Faith No More at their most melodic. There are even later moments with a touch of nu-metal haunting the periphery. A subtle tribute to the likes of Korn & American Head Charge, maybe? Remember, this is just within the first song. Further tentacles emerge as Consequences progresses, unveiling a band far, far beyond their status. They have finesse, imagination, high technical ability, diversity, and the sound production to carry it all. For a band to so professionally capture truly catchy, melodic rock, and extreme metal from one breathe to the next, keeping it proggy all the way, is rare. Aeons really should be on everybody’s radar!
Grade: A+
Slow Dragon
Forked Tongues: Aeons – Hordes X 2022 interviews
Obviously, though, their unusual location isn’t the only thing from which they draw their inspiration:
SH: “The writing is very much tied to an emotional component in the music. What I mean is sometimes the music comes first, and we need to find what that is saying to us as a theme, or (more likely) the concept about the piece comes first, and the music is a reaction to that. Rubicon came from the violence of discussion around politics dividing us. Evelyn came from a true story. Their music reflects the tone of the theme. But Blight came from the chorus chord sequence, and we wrote what that made us feel, and brought out the narrative to that tone – loneliness and loss. But the core of AEONS is our choruses. For me, that’s 100% the most important part. People need to be able to hum your melodies. That’s what makes you memorable. I hope that has worked!“
It sounds like they have a very grounded ethos in how they approach writing. For many, though, the real test is when it comes to communicating those core values to a live audience. Getting those ears (and eyes) front and centre can be a challenge, but this is a band who can.
JH: “An Aeons performance has both the dramatic, climactic moments that are typical of a modern, forward-thinking metal band, and an intimacy, and familiarity that perhaps you wouldn’t expect. When Skippy (vocals) shifts from barely-audible whispers to screams that seem barely human, the best place to experience that is in the front row – so you can feel the drums kicking you in the chest, the guitars swirling around your head and the lyrics pounding into your ears.“
SH: “The quality of all metal bands these days is immense.”
“Everyone’s at the top of their game, which is great. But I do think the one thing AEONS has that will set us apart is the diversity of the music. You generally don’t get remotely similar songs in our set. You don’t like the bangers – fine here’s a 10-minute prog piece. Just wanna slam around? Fine here’s a breakdown or five. We are completely comfortable with people just listening, or throwing shapes in the front row. We just hope you enjoy it.“
READ MORE ABOUT HORDES X ON SLOW DRAGON MUSIC
Forked Tongues: Aeons – Hordes X 2022 interviews
