Aosoth – III

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France makes the best black metal. Period. It’s always surrounded by an air of mysticism, whether it’s from the music itself or from the practice of the art. One of the best bands that exemplified what French black metal should be is Antaeus. Although Antaeus is retired, luckily most of the former members went on to form or play in Aosoth, which carries the violent, claustrophobic, and downright terrifying black metal that Antaeus was known for. Aosoth’s III picks up where their older material leaves off, creating a punishing soundscape of black metal that leaves very little room for respite for the listener. This album is definitely a hard listen without being fully engaged in it. Where Antaeus was about full-on chaos, Aosoth does try to add an air of unknown/mystery to their sound. Take Wolves In The Throne Room and Australia’s Portal, mixed with France’s Mutilation and you’ve got a pretty good representation of the sound the band is going for. The second track does a great job of creating an extremely unnerving listen; you have to remind yourself that people made this music, not demons. At the end of the day, Aosoth makes an incredibly dark and brooding album, but it’s definitely not going to be for casual listeners. When the band themselves call it Satanic Audio Violence, you know it’s for real. III is a whirlwind of hard-to-stomach black metal that doesn’t let up for a second. If that description intrigues you, you might just worship this album.

Written by Jackson May
More: 2011, Albums, Black Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Aosoth