One Listen Review
1st Listen – 2 June 2023
Reviewed – 4 June 2023
Aodon
Willowtip Records
Released – 9 June 2023
The very first thing to note on the first listen is that this is a definitive Black Metal album. It is full of blast-bleats, shrieking vocals and typical Black Metal riffs. It is not an album for the casual listener to rock music, who dabbles in a bit of metal, Portraits is all in, all black and all metal. All lyrics are in French, however, with this being extreme metal, it doesn’t really matter because anybody can shriek along with unfettered abandon as long as they are in tune!
With only 9 songs, Portraits isn’t overly long. The unfortunate thing is the Aodon have not varied the attack of the music as much as they could. Many of the tracks start with a bludgeoning
intro, straight to the aggression and with very little subtlety. The upshot is that it is difficult to ascertain the end and beginning of any particular track.
However, Portaits excels when it drifts from the standard, typical black metal norm. When the band takes the time to introduce you to the track, providing an intriguing welcome, you are invested in the song when the genre takes over. Songs like, ‘Mayerson’, ‘Miquella’, ‘Inaki’ and ‘Sheelagh’ ensure that Aodon do not rely solely on black metal traits and help to separate them from the old ‘Les Légions Noires’ sound. The production also far excels ‘Les Légions Noires’ bands, which is to be expected.Portraits is not for everyone. It will not attract fans to the Black Metal Genre. It is purposefully not a welcoming album, it has a lack of variation that makes the changes in song structure more impressive. It is dark, sinister and aggressive. These reasons make it worth the second listen.
The DevilsHorns 
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