Aevum
Kaleidoscope
Label: DarkTunes Music Group
Out: January 17th, 2025
Playing time: 33:48

The last album by Aevum under the name ‘Glitch’ didn’t appeal to me at all. Its immediate predecessor ‘Multiverse’ was much better. The live performance at the third Female Metal Fest in Meyrin (Geneva) in 2017 also convinced me completely. The fourth album ‘Kaleidoscope’ will be released at the beginning of 2025. The all-important question for me now is whether ‘Glitch’ was just an outlier or do the musicians from Turin (Italy) really want to sound like this in the future?

‘D20’ is already a strange song title. But the press release provides more information: ‘Lyrically, ’… the song … ‘ plays with themes of fate and chance, invoking the roll of a 20-sided die as a metaphor for life’s unpredictable twists.’.  A melodic song with a folk flavour, but also energetic riffs. Fortunately, you can enjoy Lucille’s beautiful soprano voice. Vocal partner Richard essentially contributes clear vocals. The growls of Hydra are probably a thing of the past. Although not quite. You can hear them on ‘Be A Lady’, but from the guest singers Katlin: and Velenia (OCTO CRURA). And the three ladies sing as a trio, as Lucile contributes her soprano. The press release describes this as a ‘anthem combining gothic elegance with raw power’. Nothing needs to be added to that. ‘Nightshade’ is probably an allusion to the singer’s stage name. A beautiful ballad in which some of the vocal passages are breathy, but otherwise the soprano comes into its own. The instrumental interlude ‘Dark Tunes’ is characterised by synth melodies, some of which seem a little spooky. ‘Fog Of Fear’ is powerful, aggressive and dark. It’s partly a throwback to the days of ‘Glitch’. But for one song you can get over it, especially because it’s still melodic. Here there are growls combined with Lucille’s ethereal vocals. ‘The Inquisition’ starts quietly. The vocals are accompanied by clear guitars and strings. And finally, you can hear it, the outstanding operatic soprano that I sorely missed on the previous album. And Richard proves me wrong again, there are still growls. Although nowhere near as bitterly angry as before. ‘Ashes To Ashes’ is strongly characterised by industrial influences. These synths are not quite my taste. And it’s not really a song, but rather an instrumental outro. Outro? Yes, because after that there are only two instrumental versions of ‘D20’ and ‘Fog Of Fear’. However, I would categorise these as dispensable bonus tracks. This actually leaves a pure playing time of just over twenty-five minutes.

‘Kaleidoscope’ offers light and shade. On a positive note, the Turin band are on the way back to their roots. And that they have increased the melodic part immensely. But in my opinion, Aevum could have done without all the instrumental tracks. But at least the band is on the right track. The absolute highlight of the album for me is ‘Be A Lady’. I would have liked to hear more songs of this quality. And I have my problems categorising this release as an album. From my point of view, EP would be more appropriate here.

Aevum – D20: https://youtu.be/lx6yPw9t6xg?si=DolxbXOV7Ky6J99_

Lineup:

Ilaria Lucille “Nightshade” De Santis – Vocals
Richard – Vocals, Synths
Emanuel “Ema” la Croix – Guitar
Danilo “Lord of Destruction” Molatieri – Guitar
Paul Grey Hunter – Bass
Lorenzo “Lore” Aimo – Drums

Track list:

  • D20
  • Be A Lady
  • Nightshade
  • Dark Tunes
  • Fog Af Fear
  • The Inquisition
  • Ashes To Ashes
  • D20 (Instrumental Version)
  • Fog of Fear (Instrumental Version)
Overall
7.5/10
7.5/10
  • Overall Rating - 7.5/10
    7.5/10

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