SULPHUR AEON - Seven Crowns And Seven Seals - Digipak-CD (in Slipcase)

Genre: Death/Black Metal

SULPHUR AEON's newest opus is blessed with contrasts, an astonishing sonic ebb and flow. Expect a barrage of angular riffs and ferocious blast beats, refined layers of melodies, dense atmosphere and triumphantly chanted choruses. Expect ethereal acoustic guitars, subtle synths, tinges of goth ('the yearning abyss devours us'), lush leads, e-bow-parts, vigorous aggression ('arcane cambrian sorcery'), monumental heaviness shifting into hypnotic vocal patterns ('seven crowns and seven seals), and a grand finale ('beneath the ziqqurrats'). Transcending genres and always preserving a natural coherence, "seven crowns and seven seals" is swathing cinematic metal excellence perfectly captured and honed by long-term collaborators Simon Werner and Michael Zech (Secrets Of The Moon, Bølzer etc.) whereas mastering duties were handled by V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress). In terms of artwork, this time around SULPHUR AEON broke with the tradition of working with Ola Larsson once again but teamed up with Italy's Paolo Girardi to depict a Lovecraftian apocalypse opposing the album's opulence and dynamics with a rawer style.

SULPHUR AEON's "seven crowns and seven seals" is the manifest and at least for now, possibly the peak of a band obsessively creative, passionately and willingly challenging itself to produce music as timeless and original as H.P. Lovecraft's literary legacy. Cast yourself into the darkened waters and be swallowed by the ocean's tide...

Tracklisting:
1. Sombre tidings
2. Hammer from the howling void
3. Usurper of the earth and sea
4. The yearning abyss devours us
5. Arcane cambrian sorcery
6. Seven crowns and seven seals
7. Beneath the ziqqurats