AENAON - "Cendres et Sang" - REVIEWS

http://metalreview.com/reviews/6236/aenaon-cendres-et-sang

9.5/10 !!!!!!!!

Score 9.5
Written by Rae Amitay
Published on 7/8/2011
Well, Greece has done it again. They’re already able to claim Septicflesh and Rotting Christ as their own, and now the Greeks have unleashed Aenaon. This avant-garde black metal group possesses such strong technical ability and songwriting chops that it’s damn hard to believe this is their first full-length album. Cendres et Sang (which is French for ‘Ashes and Blood’), is a wonderfully creative and exceptionally well-produced record that should not be overlooked. Aenaon has a mature and compelling sound, and they create their multifaceted, innovative, and chaotic brand of metal with four talented members.

To put it bluntly, this band has their shit together.

Aenaon opens the album with a shimmering saxophone intro (entitled “Kafkaesque”), followed by “Suncord”, which fully immerses the listener in black metal/jazz fusion that never becomes unlistenable or unnatural. Even though there are layers upon layers of genre-bending sound, the entire piece remains cohesive and engaging. The sections of atmospheric, haunting jazz are executed just as brilliantly as the momentous black metal segments. The band’s ability to create intricate song structures is certainly commendable, but they can also pull back and write aggressive and straightforward metal with mass appeal, as is the case on “Psychonautic Odyssey”. Even on this less complex track, Aenaon still incorporates their experimental side, and there’s Hammond organ alongside the chugging riffs and blast beats.

Every track has great strengths, and there’s something on this album that will resonate with every listener. Aenaon doesn’t depend on their use of unconventional elements to define their sound, and their appeal is deeply rooted in excellent songwriting and genuine brutality. Cenres et Sang is full of brilliant performances from each member of the band; The rhythm section is crushing and tight throughout dynamic shifts in mood, vocalist Astrous provides commanding mid-range growls, and the guitar work is fantastically versatile.

Any band that combines blackened jazz with David Lynch has my support, and Aenaon concludes their incredible first release with their take on the song “In Heaven” from 1977’s “Eraserhead”. Opening with eerie piano and female vocals, the unsettlingly subdued atmosphere is highly reminiscent of Unexpect. This soon gives way to complete mayhem, and the once-sung lyrics are roared as the decaying walls of sound come crashing down. Toying with the audience’s sanity for five minutes, the piece alternates between these two stark contrasts before the sinister piano fades into silence. “In Heaven” is an absolute masterpiece of a track, and a brilliant example of how a band can take pre-existing material and make it their own.

Aenaon has admirable focus, exceptional musicianship, and magnificent songwriting. While they have certainly been influenced by bands like Emperor, Shining (Norway), and DHG, the group has created an experimental, yet accessible sound that is all their own. After hearing what this band has to offer, I can say without hesitation that Aenaon has boundless potential, and their music is a force to be reckoned with
 
http://sonidosdelacripta.blogspot.com/2011/07/aenaon-cendres-et-sang-2011.html?spref=fb

Desde hace unos cuantos años la escena metalera griega nos ofrece un buen puñado de muy buenas bandas de relieve a nivel internacional, como Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Suicidal Angels, Transcending Bizarre?, o Nightfall por nombrar unas cuantas, y viendo el debut que se han marcado Aenon, me da la sensación que no solo esto tiene pinta de seguir avanzando en el país heleno, sino que además los alumnos tienen ganas de superar a los profesores.

Lo que aquí se nos presenta con “Cendres Et Sang” (cenizas y sangre) es un gran trabajo vanguardista de metal extremo, más que black metal en concreto, que se nos presenta con una portada espectacular, siguiendo el buen gusto de artístico de los griegos, en el que ya empiezan a darnos muy buena impresión, pero como de portadas no viven los músicos, os comento que me ha llamado la atención de este álbum.

Comienza a correr la primera pista y nos encontramos con un recurso que últimamente utilizan varias bandas de black metal que se les etiqueta de “Avant-garde”, me refiero al uso del saxofón, la mayoría de estas bandas creen que están haciendo algo alucinante con esta introducción de nuevos instrumento, pero en muchas ocasiones el resultado es lamentable, en el caso de este álbum en cuestión se trata de crear atmósfera en algún tema y en algún otro complementa de manera sutil al resto de instrumentos, sin destacar especialmente, aunque tampoco se puede obviar.

Esta banda ha sido capaz de crear un paisaje sonoro oscuro, sin resultar en ningún caso depresivo, que te envuelve durante los casi 53 minutos de duración del mismo, siendo capaces de combinar elementos de la vieja escuela bleckmetalera con otros innovadores, consiguiendo un sonido muy moderno renovador. Pero sobre todo envolvente.

Aunque se trata de metal extremo, no me resulta especialmente agresivo aunque si aguerrido, la combinación de elementos de jazz, melodías de gran riqueza que se deslizan sensacionales y coloridas dentro de la oscuridad ( a veces épicas) y composiciones progresivas y envolventes hacen que este sea un trabajo muy fácil de digerir para la mayoría de oídos, aunque no estén excesivamente curtidos en los campos de batalla de la música extrema.

No deja de sorprenderme en ningún momento, afilados riffs de gran fuerza que suenan en permanente estado de euforia, unos solos de guitarra espectaculares y en general unas composiciones trabajadísimas que ejecutan con gran maestría, a lo que sumamos una garganta que gruñe de manera punzante y el resultado es una obra muy dinámica, de lo más entretenida y recomendable.

Esto es lo que encontramos en un álbum lleno de sorpresas cautivadoras, no será un servidor quien las desvele, pues perdería el encanto, solo decir que el remate del álbum es un tema, que simplemente te dejarán sin palabras… hay que descubrirlo.
 
http://www.beattheblizzard.com/?module=reviews&review=960

Rating:
9/10

Website:
http://www.aenaon-band.com
Label:
http://www.code666.net/


The four members of the Avant-garde Black Metal band AENAON from Greece, is out with their first length album “Cendres Et Sang”. Today, two of the band members are active in VARATHRON and NETHESCERIAL, while they have previously played in among other CHAOTIC SYMMETRY, BLACK WINTER, DUNKEL and SACRAMENTAL CEREMONY.
AENAON released a split 7¨ “A Parallel Zoetrope” in 2010 and the mcd “Phenomenon” with six tracks in 2009.

“Cendres Et Sang” is a mix of experimental and original Black Metal. This brutal, raw, killer CD got ten tracks. There is no time to get disappointed, as AENAON has focused on a wide range within the guitar solos, riffs, as well as the drummer performance. I admit that this is an incredible diverse album. The Avant-garde style is expressed through the musical portion of saxophone and other sounds and effects that occurs in the music.

“Suncord” is one of the strongest tracks on “Cendres Et Sang”. The rolling saxophone tones are one of the ingredients here. Through the ending section of the song, the vocalist pushes his voice to be heard, and the song just blows away like a beautiful storm, with tremolo picking and high flying solos. It becomes a pleasant atmosphere. There are nice rhythms and time changes in “Carnivora's Lair” with a range of different guitar performance. The band really shows their musical skills. I got a bit surprised when I heard “Necroscope”, mostly because of the guitar solo, which gave me folk/viking Metal vibes. This is a relative slow, but nice track that stands in contrast to the rest of the songs, which are more intensive and aggressive. “Black Nerve” starts with a fascinating solo. This restrained song pulsates up nice against the end of the album, with the sound of the saxophone that slowly cries it΄s tears.

AENAON lies at a very high level technically, and I suppose that they would have drawn a large audience at the Inferno Metal Festival.
 
http://metalitalia.com/album/aenaon-cendres-et-sang/

L’ascesa della scena greca non sembra subire arresti: dopo l’acclamato ritorno sulle scene dei SepticFlesh ed il marciume messo in musica dai Necrovorous ecco comparire dal nulla il debut degli Aenaon, quartetto dedito ad un avant-guarde che non ha nulla da invidiare ai grossi nomi della scena. Difficile inquadrare la proposta del quartetto di Larissa, vista l’abbondanza di particolari eccentrici racchiusi in questo debutto, introdotto dalle suadenti note di un saxofono: la quantità di elementi racchiusi nell’opera non inficia l’aggressività delle composizioni, elemento sempre in primo piano in tutte e dieci le tracce incluse nell’opera. Contrariamente all’impenetrabilità di molte opere dello stesso genere, gli Aenaon riescono a convincere dopo pochi ascolti, merito soprattutto della freschezza ed irruenza del comparto chitarristico delle formazione: i riff taglienti e dotati di buona complessità bastano da soli a fornire un buon spessore al lavoro, rendendo immediata e talvolta catchy – il riff iniziale di “Psychonautic Odyssey” e le melodie di “Necroscope” parlano da sole – la proposta del combo greco. Il lato più diretto ed aggressivo viene a galla nelle veloci “Grand Narcotic Harvest” e “Kraanerg”, tracce che affiancano un riffing prettamente black metal break spezzacollo, samplers, parti in cantato femminile, arpeggi acustici oltre che ad intermezzi in cantato pulito. La particolarità delle melodie dell’opera sopperisce in qualche caso – “Once Finite” ne è un valido esempio – a qualche calo di ispirazione presente nel lavoro, contribuendo a mantenere su un buon standard qualitativo l’intera opera: riuscita e perfettamente integrata con il mood dell’album la cover di “In Heaven”, pezzo di David Lynch incluso nel film Eraserhead. Pur con qualche leggera caduta di tono “Cendres Et Sang” centra senza troppi problemi l’obiettivo e considerato che si tratta della prima pubblicazione ufficiale della formazione non possiamo che ben sperare per il futuro di questa giovane promessa greca: conclude il quadro una produzione assolutamente all’altezza ed un artwork che ben si integra con la particolarità della musica degli Aenaon. Un succulento inizio di carriera.
 
SPARK MAGAZINE (august - printed - czech rep)

obalka.jpg


AENAON
Cendres Et Sang
CODE666 – 52:58
black metal
Takový debut, jaký právě vydávají řečtí AENAON,
se jen tak nevidí. „Cendres Et Sang“ je blackmetalové
album s dekadentním saxofonovým intrem
věnovaným Franzi Kafkovi, závěrem v podobě coververze
písně „In Heaven“ ze surrealistického hororu
Davida Lynche „Mazací hlava“ a roztančeným
rock’n’rollovým rytmem, který všechny šílené experimenty
AENAON pohání dopředu.
Správně avantgardní atmosféru pomáhají „Cendres
Et Sang“ dotvářet ještě příležitostné jazzové
vsuvky a ozvěny hammondek, pro vytvoření
dojmu naprostého šílenství a chaosu by se bez
nich ovšem kapela pravděpodobně vlastně docela
dobře obešla. AENAON na to naprosto stačí
dvě obyčejné elektrické kytary. Na posluchače se
totiž na ploše skoro padesáti tří minut valí nepředvídatelná
směs neustále se měnících kytarových
motivů, které jsou v jediné skladbě schopné
přecházet z kousavých blackmetalových akordů
do chytlavých melodických trylků, jen aby se pak
bez varování zvrhly v brutální staccato, které opět
vyústí v black metal, a ďábelský kolotoč „Cendres
Et Sang“ tak může pokračovat dál. A na konci jízdy
vás ještě poťouchle vyplivne zrovna před branami
Lynchova pekelného nebe...

Jana Vrbková 5/6
 
http://www.rockap.gr/?p=9159


Οι Aenaon είναι μία μπάντα που μας έρχεται απο την Κεντρική Ελλάδα (Λάρισα,Βόλο). Δημιουργήθηκε το 2005 και απο τότε κυκλοφόρησαν ενα Demo (2007) το ΕP "Phenomenon"(2009) και πρό μηνών το Split με τους Satanochio "A Parallel Zoetrope". Σε όλες αυτες τις κυκλοφορίες του οι ιδέες του και το παίξιμο τους είχε χαρακτηριστεί αρκετά ενδιαφέρον και θεωρούνταν μια ελπιδοφόρα μπάντα.Όλα αυτά ήρθανε να μας το επιβεβαιώσουν και με το παραπάνω με την πρώτη τους ολοκληρωμένη δουλεία με τίτλο "Cendres et Sang" το οποίο μεταφράζεται σαν "Στάχτες και Αίμα".

Το album κυκλοφόρησε από την Code666 και η Aenaon μας αποδεικνύουν ότι μεσα απο όρεξη, μεγάλη υπομονή, αγάπη και μεράκι και τρομερή έμφαση στις λεπτομέρειες το αποτέλεσμα αγγίζει την τελειότητα, και αυτό έχει να κάνει καταρχήν με το τέλειο εξώφυλο όπου υπεύθυνος είναι ο Πολωνός Lukasz Wodynski προσαρμοσμένο άριστα στο τίτλο του άλμπουμ και στην ατμόσφαιρα αυτού.Επίσης ένας άλλος τομέας είναι αυτός του ήχου δίνοντας τεράστια βάση σε αυτό το τομέα με αποτέλεσμα το άλμπουμ να ηχογραφηθεί σε 5 διαφορετικά στούντιος και το τελικό mastering ανέλαβε ο Tom Kvalsvoll στα Strype Audio στη Νορβηγία.

Το album περιέχει δέκα συνθέσεις πολύ δεμένες μεταξύ τους και με αρκετές αλλαγές στο ύφος τους με σκοπό να μας δώσουν ένα ιδιότυπο Black Metal επηρεασμένο και από death μελωδίες αλλά και μπόλικη δόση από ατμόσφαιρα που σε καταβάλει και καταφέρνει να σε κρατήσει μέχρι το τέλος. Πλούσια και καθαρά riffs στις κιθάρες που συνδυάζονται άψογα με την εναλλαγή brutal και clean φωνητικών μέσα σε ωραία και ουσιαστικά solos και ατμοσφαιρικές τζούρες απο σαξόφωνο και πιάνο.

Οι Aenaon μέσα από μικρά και σταθερά βήματα ωρίμανσης και προόδου μας παρουσιάζουν ένα μαγικό άλμπουμ που σίγουρα περιλαμβάνεται στα καλύτερα του είδους που άκουσα τελευταία και ίσως συγκαταλέγεται στις καλύτερες κυκλοφορίες της χρονιάς από την ελληνικη σκηνή. Κλείνοντας, σε όλο αυτό το εγχείρημα θα πρέπει να σταθούμε και ονομαστικά στις guest εμφανίσεις που βοήθησαν και αυτόι με τον τρόπο τους στη δημιουργία αυτού του αριστουργήματος

Orjan "V'gandr" Nordvik - vocals (Helheim, Aeternus).
Thomais Chatzigianni - vocals (Dakrya)
Vasilis Agiomyrgianakis - grand piano
Christos Agouridakis - alto & tenor saxophone (Orchestra Sonora)
Pantelis Kalogiros - additional piano (Disolvo Animus)

Κείμενο: Γιώργος Αθανασάς
 
http://www.metalicos.com/Paginas/Compact Disc/Resenas/Aenaon_CendresEtSanG.html

Aenaon es una banda griega a la que ya le veníamos siguiendo la pista desde hace rato. Su sobresaliente EP Phenomenon fue reseñado aquí en metalicos.com y había mostrado cosas bastante prometedoras. Por eso, al enterarnos de la salida de su disco debut Cendres et Sang, corrimos a chequear el resultado. Y bien... pues benditos sean los dioses olímpicos por haberle regalado a la humanidad la escena griega, sencillamente una de las mejores del mundo.

Aenaon recientemente firmó por la disquera de culto code666, que ha sacado algunos de los discos más aclamados del black no convencional en los últimos años. Naturalmente las cabezas pensantes de la disquera sabían lo que hacían, pues Cendres et Sang ve a la banda dar un salto cualitativo gigantesco, desde su raíz black enfermiza y veloz a una fórmula de avantgarde refinado y demente, donde el tremolo riffing y los segmentos melódicos se mezclan con interludios de saxofón infernal, pluralidad de estilos vocales, teclados fatídicos y macabros… la lista no acaba. Para todos los efectos Aenaon se ha instalado con esta obra en el mapa del black avantgarde mundial, donde bandas como Ved Buens Ende o Arcturus fueron reinas supremas.

El secreto –como ya apuntábamos– está en la variedad de recursos compositivos y en la multiplicidad de arreglos. Eso sí, a pesar de ser griegos, no esperen encontrar nada en común con los nombres legendarios de la escena como Septic Flesh, Varathron, Nightfall o Rotting Christ. Aenaon se las ha arreglado para componer un disco original, fresco, sin abusar nunca de los elementos alternativos, pues a final de cuentas la estructura básica de la obra viene directamente del black metal.

A los escépticos del black avantgarde –entre los que me incluyo– debo decirles que pierdan cuidado, Cendres et Sang no es una fiesta de teclados raros o samples con sonidos discordantes (precisamente la fórmula con que muchas bandas creen ser avantgarde). La primacía aquí la llevan las guitarras de principio a fin, el sonido es crudo a pesar del estilo y los mejores momentos del álbum, son precisamente aquellos en que las guitarras se sueltan con evocadores riffs melódicos, o violentas tormentas respaldadas del siempre bienvenido blast beating.

Ciertamente se notan elementos extraídos del jazz, sobre todo en la batería y los pocos segmentos donde surge el ya mencionado saxofón, pero con un tinte que los vuelve teatrales, lentos y oscuros; kafkianos por así decirlo (no sorprende que la intro del disco se llame de hecho Kafkaesque). En general este es uno de los mejores lanzamientos del año en terrenos del black y eso no es decir poco. Vayan familiarizándose con este sonido, pues de Aenaon pronto se estará hablando bastante más en todo el mundo.



Calificación: 88/100

Mauricio
 
http://www.nemesiswebzine.com/Review Aenaon.html

The Greek Black Metal Scene amazed me always with such good and unique bands as Rotting Christ, Varathron, Septic Flesh, Necromantia and some other good bands. The best about the bands form there was always that they were open for new ideas. The newest proof of this is Aenaon. Till now, they brought out the EP “Phenomenon “and a split CD with a Romanian band Satanochio and this is their first album. I didn’t hear the split CD and the EP, so I can’t tell how much they evolved since than. In the info I read about them that their music is Avant-garde Black Metal, but in my opinion, the term Black Metal meets Jazz describe their music the best. These 10 songs from this album are anthems of Greek BM at its best. Since it is my first listening to this band, I was really surprised with the intro on this record. “Kafkaesque” is a true Jazz song. First I fought that there must be a mistake, until I heard the next song “Suncord”, which continues to the intro. After this song I saw that this is no mistake. It shows that one can mix Black Metal with Jazz and that it can sounds good. Just remember what Carpathian Forest did a couple of years ago on the “Strange old brew” album and Necromantia. It’s hard to tell about the Metal influences, since there are elements from a lot of Metal genres. On one hand there are very clear Black and Death Metal elements and on the other hand, the clean vocal reminds me of A. Nemtheanga from Primordial. The vocals go from growls to clean vocals in the Primordial style. The atmosphere on this record is made without any use of keyboards. In the third song “Psychonautic Odyssey” there is some old keyboards from the 70’s to hear. It’s good to hear a band again who makes the atmosphere just by using the basic instruments of Metal without drowning their music with too much keyboards. In the song “Grand narcotic harvest” appears V'Gandr of Helheim as a guest. The song”Black nerve” is the song with the most Jazz influences in it. The band used in this song Saxophone in the slower part, just like Carpathian Forest did. This song is also the longest song on this album. The last song on this record begins with a piano and female vocal in a melancholic way. But, it’s just the silence before the storm to say it so. After the slower part in this song, it changes to a faster part which will be followed by a slower part again. For me, this song is the highlight on this record. I really recommend this record, since the music is something new and well made. The ideas and the atmosphere here are one of a kind and if someone is searching something good in these times, than check this album out and you won’t regret it. I know that I didn’t regret it.



P.M. 14/15
 
http://www.metal-glory.de/reviews_neu.php?nr=21373

Die Avantgarde Black Metaller Aenaon kommen aus Griechenland und sind seit 2005 aktiv.
Nachdem man 2007 eine Demo(Promo´07) selbst released und danach, im Jahre 2009 und 2010, eine EP(Phenomenon) und eine 7“(A Parallel Zoetrope) mit jeweils einem anderen Label unters Volk gebracht hat, ist man nun bei den Italienern Code666 gelandet. Ihr sozusagen Full Length Debüt hört auf den Namen „Cendres et Sang“(Asche und Blut)und bietet 10 Stücke die dem oben genannten Genre alle Ehre machen und mit viel Progressivität liebäugeln. In manchen Passagen musste ich sogar an die letzten beiden Ihsahn Werke denken.
Beginnen tut das Ganze mit einem Saxophon Intro(Kafaesque), welches gleichzeitig die Einleitung in den zweiten Track „Suncord“ darstellt. Hier hört man sofort in welchem musikalischen Fahrwasser sich die Griechen bewegen. Man geht mit Melodie aber auch Vertracktheit zu Werke und verbindet progressive Elemente mit Black Metallischer Aggressivität. Diese Struktur zieht sich durchs ganze Album und bietet dadurch auch die nötige Abwechslung um nicht schon nach der Hälfte des Albums abzuschalten.
Die Gitarren kommen mal sägend, mal mit viel Melodie daher und ab und zu auch ein wenig verspielt. Trotz des progressiven Charakters gibt es immer wieder eingängige Passagen, welche sofort zum “mit wippen“ animieren. Das Keyboard, welches mehr im Hintergrund agiert, Saxophon(könnte etwas harmonischer eingesetzt werden) und Drums scheinen hier aus der “Dose“ zu kommen. Ich konnte jedenfalls keinen Hinweis auf Musiker finden. Dies tut dem Ganzen allerdings kein Abbruch, harmoniert doch alles mehr oder weniger sehr gut miteinander. Ein Wermutstropfen des Albums ist die “Ähnlichkeit“ der Songs untereinander. Irgendwie sticht kein Stück “extrem“ heraus, was jetzt nicht heißen soll das wirklich gute Songs fehlen. Es ist nur so, dass man alle Stücke auch ohne Pause spielen könnte und es würde nichts ausmachen. Man würde es als ein Megastück empfinden. Welches allerdings eine Menge Abwechslung zu bieten hätte.
Gesanglich kommt Astrous hauptsächlich mit Kreischgesang daher, ab und an gibt´s auch Klargesang und auch eine nicht näher benannte weibliche Stimme kommt hin und wieder hinzu. Als Gast ist übrigens bei „Grand Narcotic Harvest” ein gewisser V´gandr vertreten, der den Meisten von den Norwegern Helheim her bekannt sein dürfte.
Aufgenommen in 5 verschiedenen Studios, wurde das Ganze von niemand Geringeren als Tom Kvalsvoll gemastert. Dieser schon für Alben von 1349, Ishahn, DHG, Keep Of Kalessin und anderen Größen verantwortlich zeichnet. Das Coverartwork, welches sehr gut zur Musik passt, stammt vom Polnischen Visionär Lukasz Wodynski.
Fazit: Experimenteller, avantgardistischer Black Metal der Marke Aenaon sollte aufgeschlossenen Extrem Metal Fans zusagen und wer mit Ishahn´s Werken, und auch dem letzten Hollenthon Album was anzufangen weiß, der sollte auch hier seine Freude haben.
Die Griechen können den beiden genannten Institutionen zwar „noch“ nicht das Wasser reichen, aber wenn sie so weiter machen und noch einige kleine Schwächen ausmerzen, sollten sie bald einen großen Schritt in diese Richtung machen. 7/10 Punkten

Anspieltipp: Grand Narcotic Harvest, Necroscope, Black Nerve und als „Geheimtipp” In Heaven

Aenaon im Netz: http://www.aenaon-band.com
 
http://www.xtreemmusic.org/index_qu...ticas/php/critica.php?id=3866&varbus=&chkrel=

BANDA: AENAON (gre)
TITULO: Cendres Et Sang
FORMATO/AÑO: CD 2011
SELLO: Code 666
CALIFICACIÓN: 9/10
AUTOR: Pedro Ingelmo (08/2011)


Un disco con esta portada y que empieza con una melodía de saxo tiene muchas papeletas para sorprender… y así es. Pero la cosa no va de excentricidades ni de vanguardismos elitistas, y aunque la mencionada intro se une al primer tema y allí el saxo prolonga un poco más su canto, todo se queda en una pura anécdota. Lo que encontramos después es una música agresiva, tremendamente intensa y muy variada, y ahí es donde de verdad vienen las sorpresas.

De hecho la variedad es tal que no resulta fácil situarlos en un género concreto. En principio todo apunta a Post-Black, pero ni la voz ni los ritmos encajan siempre en esa clasificación, salvo en temas como “Kraanerg”, ni tampoco hay las lánguidas ensoñaciones melódicas frecuentes en otros grupos. Y que no piense nadie que han hecho una especie de mosaico heterogéneo con piezas de distintos géneros, en absoluto, la diversidad no le quita ni una milésima parte de cohesión al disco y el conjunto es todo un monolito, música de una pieza y perfectamente coherente.

El álbum cuenta con unos formidables arreglos de guitarras y un trabajo cuidadísimo a la hora de rematar los temas, entretejiendo riffs, frases, arpegios y motivos solistas hasta dar lugar a unas texturas asombrosas. Además está ejecutado con verdadero sentido de la dinámica y los contrastes, lo que resalta aún más la intensidad de los pasajes más agresivos. La voz, sin embargo, se queda lejos de este espíritu y resulta demasiado monótona, tanto por el timbre como por la forma de cantar (con honrosas excepciones como “Carnivora’s lair”) y hasta por sus patrones rítmicos.

También les habría venido bien tener alguna parte pegadiza más, como las de “Grand narcotic harvest” o “Necroscope”, o fragmentos que marquen momentos de especial énfasis en cada tema y los hagan reconocibles. Cincuenta y tres minutos de música es de entrada una buena noticia y en este caso un indicio de creatividad, pero su propia densidad –aparte de que sólo dos temas bajan de los cinco minutos- amenaza por momentos con asfixiarla, otra razón para haber dado a sus canciones momentos que respiren y que a la vez guíen la música en una determinada dirección.

En todo caso la banda demuestra talento, ambición, gusto por el trabajo bien hecho y una admirable madurez para tratarse de un primer disco completo, aunque llevan en activo desde el año 2005. Por cierto, el saxo reaparece en la larga “Black nerve” con un breve pero interesante solo, confirmando que su presentación al principio del disco era anecdótica o, como mucho, una estrategia para captar la atención del oyente. El álbum se despide con una acertada versión de un tema de la película de David Lynch “Eraserhead”, adaptada al propio estilo del grupo y con ciertas reminiscencias de PECCATUM.
 
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/cendres-et-sang--review.aspx?id=250454

3.5/5 stars

After releasing a handful of minor releases since their formation in 2005, Greek avant-garde black metal act Aenaon released this debut full-length in June of 2011 on code666. Cenres et Sang is an album that's strikingly unique in sound, while still providing plenty of quality compositions and impressive musicianship. The band's unique mix of genres, topped off with a strange, avant-garde twist makes Cenres et Sang an excellent recommendation to those seeking music on the not-so-traditional side of black metal. Aenaon still has some work to do with creating songs that are mind-blowing in structure, as well as making a slightly more coherent album, but this is generally an exceptional debut full-length that I've had a pleasure experiencing.

Right off the bat, a few things stand out immediately unique about Aenaon's sound. Although they do occasionally lean in the noisy, chaotic avant-garde sounds of Blut Aus Nord or Deathspell Omega, Aenaon generally play a much more melodic style of avant-black metal, with plenty of influences from jazz, progressive rock, and ambient. Most of this album isn't very "avant-garde" in a compositional sense - many of the songs here are fairly conventional - but it is instead avant-garde when looking at the arrangements. The strange saxophone portions, occasional operatic vocals, and unconventional guitar effects really put Aenaon at odds with most of the straightforward black metal crowd. Cenres et Sang's unique ambitions are ultimately its strongest asset, and the band's willingness to experiment is quite encouraging.

The songwriting on Cenres et Sang is also generally pretty strong - tracks like "Suncord" and "Once" certainly leave an impression on the listener, and throwaways are nowhere to be found. A few songs may lack a bit in the department of memorability, yet they never come across as boring in any sense. The strong and unique musicianship tends to keep things interesting, even if a few compositions may be slightly lacking. The chaotic, yet still clear and audible production also helps flesh-out the emotional impact that Aenaon attempts to obtain - and, for the most part, they succeed tremendously.

Cenres et Sang isn't a flawless album, and Aenaon will still have to work on songwriting a little more before taking the avant-black metal world by storm, but this is still a very impressive debut outing from one of Greece's most promising young acts. If you're an extreme metal fan with an eclectic list of other musical interests, odds are that you'll enjoy Cenres et Sang quite a bit. I'd say 3.5 stars are warranted here. I'll be curious to see where Aenaon heads in the coming years.

by J-Man
 
http://www.brutalism.com/content/aenaon-cendres-et-sang

Rating: 5/5 stars!

Aenaon's debut album- 'Cendres Et Sang'- is a unique piece of black metal quality that hasn't been seen in some time since Dodheismgard's last album. It is a mixture of melodic black metal, industrial, ambient, and even progressive metal that is sure to sate plenty of fans across the globe. Rather than take the usual Satanic, tremolo picking and corpsepainted approach, or the highly symphonic approach with a clean, modern sound mixed the harsh riffs, Aenoan choose to start their album out in an odd, weird way that instantly draws attention: jazz. The opening track is a short instrumental but features a full on saxophone for a bit that will appear in other tracks as well, but only briefly. The second track, "Suncord," is more along the lines of the typical harsh, aggressive black style that features well produce snarls that are a hybrid of black and death metal, but the real treat is when everything simmers down in the interlude for a progressive moment and also featuring the jazzy sections again. The two completely contrast one another but make for a very interesting track; one could consider this similar to Ihsahn's progressive black metal work.

"Grand Narcotic Harvest" puts a bit of a Twilight Zone spin by adding in looping, sci-fi industrial samples amongst the black metal parts that make it not only probably the heaviest track, but the oddest one of all. It is like listening to the Kovenant, but not with completely saturated in keyboards and the more cheesy industrial bits. "Once Finite" is about as close as black metal listeners can get to hearing something like Emperor from Aenaon as the atmosphere is a lot more static laden and crackling, which makes the vocals a bit more shrill but one can still detect the melody through the haze and the extreme pace of the music will certainly make fans of 90s black metal appreciate the band if the first couple tracks sounded far too new wave or modern for them. "Necroscope" switches between harsh snarls and almost spoken word moanings, much in the vein of Dodheimsgard again on top of melodic and rock oriented riffs which helps mitigate the raw black metal power of the music. Then there is "Black Nerve," the album epic, which clocks at about eight minutes, but sounds very similar to the second track as how it is mostly chaotic black metal for the first half of the music and then during the interlude extremely jazzy and carries on even after the black metal picks up. It may not be Aenaon's best track, but for those who like lengthier ones will find it a good listen.

Finally the album closes on "In Heaven" which is actually a cover of David Lynch's music from a film called Eraserhead. An odd choice in artist, Aenaon start the track off with some somber piano and even some guest female vocals which sound like StarOfAsh and then just explode in with the black metal which sounds at its most furious with little melody or direction as opposed to just being almost a wall of sound. Eventually the wall thins out and the guitars can be heard more clearly in their hyper-riffs as they carry on, repeatedly, all the way through the music until suddenly everything slows down again for an ambient closing. As a result, fans will probably be in awe of thise album and how complex and enjoyable it is, and most likely end up spinning it again right after because it was either so wild they didn't get it the first time or far too addicting with the progressive and modern elements to make this album anything but boring. 'Cendres Et Sang' is the kind of black metal for those who want to venture into dangerously unpredictable territory.
 
http://alternativematter.net/reviews/aenaon-cendres-et-sang

I am totally ashamed. I instantly judged this entire album based on the first ten seconds of the intro (“Kafaesque”). I had never heard of Greek avantgarde metallers and recent Code666-signees Aenaon before listening to Cendres et Sang, so I prepared myself for disappointment at the first hint of sax. I figured this album would be another Blackjazz if anything. However, as Aenaon’s first full-length release progressed, I was hitting myself for being a hater. As a former jazz drummer, I’m a traditionalist, and I like my jazz served separately from my black metal. Somehow, Aenaon manage to blend both without allowing either to become too overpowering. The band could have easily capitalized on the novelty of blackened jazz , but instead they put as much technique and intensity into every note, grinding or elegant. By the time “Once Finite” came around, I was sold. Riffs built upon riffs beneath an acceptable balance of clean and harsh vocals. This is the track that allowed me to say, okay, this IS undeniably black metal, although in a very unusual form. For the most part, the jazz phrases were subtle, although sometimes jarring and slightly out of place. Check out “Black Nerve” for some bold soloing. The melodic black metal aspect of Cendres et Sang will definitely appeal to a wide range of listeners, if you can handle a little brass. This album gets progressively better from track to track, culminating in a WTF (in a good way) cover of “In Heaven,” from David Lynch’s nightmare-inducing Eraserhead. A very interesting and telling choice which has gotten a lot of critics going, as the abstract weirdness of Aenaon parallels Lynch’s monumental break from reality.
There are some flaws, such as compositional disconnection and structure, as well as slightly (in my opinion) over dramatic vocals, but this is impressive. I wouldn’t have the balls to dive headfirst into this black/jazz/experimental fusion, kind of like if you wore a Thelonious Monk shirt to an Immortal show. Apparently you can break the band shirt rules (you all know what I’m talking about) in Greece.
Obvious correlations will be drawn between Aenaon and Shining, as well as out-there, more progressive artists like Blut Aus Nord and Unexpect, but Aenaon take on a similar concept in an entirely different way. The passages are well-executed, and the vision is palpable. I believe that Aenaon even has the ability to stand on its own as a straight up black metal band, if they decided to change direction. Don’t do that! With a little more thought put into composition and flow, great things can come from this nucleus of organized chaos.
 
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=9316

8.5/10

Many bands coming from Greece whenever they chose a more aggressive sound pathway in the metal scene their most apparent references used to rise from Rotting Christ and Septicflesh, at least in the past. Within the last few years some things seem to be changing and Aenaon is one those "heretic" bands that had the vision/will to not worship what's already famous and follow a different road. Cendres Et Sang (Ashes And Blood) is their debut album and it's here to propose a more avant-garde aspect of black metal. The cover artwork (Lukasz Wodynski ) is tempting enough and holds a sullen grandeur of its own, a very good first impression is always welcome!

The saxophone during the intro ("Kafkaesque" - what a nice title) lends some hints n' tips of what will follow and "Suncord" which holds a Ved Buens Ende accent concurs. The soundscape becomes clearer and a maelstrom of ideas is about to unfold in front of your very... ears. We're dealing with a work that's paying its small tribute to aspects of more traditional black metal and at the same time pins the term "traditional" on the wall until it bleeds experimentation. Apart from Ved Buens Ende you will witness some references to Dødheimsgard, Satyricon and Shining to name a few that come to mind at the moment. Of course it's not only about influences, it's also about ideas and inspiration, it's all about respect and self-expression and Aenaon succeed in it. Order and disorder forge an ill-natured alliance that holds its basis in black metal with three neurons that transmit jazzy, some sort of mechanical vibe and avant-garde (the Norwegian way) signals equally.

Everyone involved in this recording plays an important role and it's quite distinctive, from the band members to the guest musicians (V'gandr of Aeternus and Helheim, Thomais Chatzigianni of Dakrya etc). The guitar work is fabulous; sliding melodies, razor-sharp or maneuvering riffing with a strength of its own, even some beautiful soloing ideas (you have to love the way "Black Nerve" opens) among a wide variety of ways of expression that enrich the soundscape. There's definitely something odd and welcome at the same time within some effects in the guitars and in general, mental euphoria, dissonance and a variety of conditions/emotions come to the surface. The vocals are vibrant, they lend their own pulse in the compositions. Astrous' throat is a coal mine, ranging from edgy and sharp husky grunts to ecstatic boiling (un)clean singing that entrances the atmosphere. Last but not least, the rhythm section is dynamic, non-verbose but with interesting key signatures and the most important thing is, it's omnipresent and not buried, after all the spot-on production is complimenting the album.

The album couldn't just reach the end with an outro or any other composition. The In Heaven cover (from David Lynch's Eraserhead soundtrack) is of extraterrestrial beauty, the more i listen to it the better it gets. Emotionally pompous piano melodies and a magnificent interpretation from Thomais in a Gitane Demone meets Mary (Mary And The Boy) delirium from a daydream nightmare that comes to life when the band emerges to make the overall ambiance even more suffocating. Had I been David Lynch, I'd work on an abstract video clip with Aenaon.

Anyway, debuts like Cendres Et Sang make this world a better place to live in, as for me, I'm already waiting for their second attempt.