Black Sun Aeon

Dawn of Solace – Flames of Perdition Review

By Steel Druhm on January 27, 2022 in Reviews, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, 43 comments

“Dawn of Solace’s 2020 sophomore platter of sadboi goth-doom, Waves ended up my top album that year, surprising even me. It had heavy competition to be sure, but throughout 2020 the album kept its sullen tendrils wrapped tight around my iron lungs, and in the end, it became the soundtrack to a strange period of quarantine, unease, and uncertainty. I suppose this shouldn’t have been a surprise as I’ve long been a sucker for the kind of unhappy tidings Tuomas Saukkonen churned out in projects like Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon, and Dawn of Solace is the ultimate vehicle for his weepy ideations. Third album, Flames of Perdition was originally slated for a 2021 release but got pushed back to this week, giving me much more time than I usually have with a promo.” Mourning in the morning.

Dawn of Solace – Waves Review

By Steel Druhm on January 22, 2020 in 2020, Doom Metal, Finnish Metal, Gothic Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Noble Demon, Reviews, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 62 comments

“As a big fan of Tuomas Saukkonen’s Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon projects (R.I.P. to both), I was the natural demographic for his melancholy melodeath vehicle, Dawn of Solace as well. 2006s The Darkness was a beautiful and haunting dose of Finnish gloom that made an impression, and I always wondered why he never released another album under that name. Now in 2020 he finally delivers the followup outing titled Waves.” Surfing blues.

Wolfheart – Tyhjyys Review

By Steel Druhm on February 28, 2017 in 2017, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Black Metal, Death Metal, 20 comments

“Whenever Tuomas Saukkonen releases something there’s a certain amount of buzz in the filthy underbelly of metal. When he had Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon running simultaneously, he released a staggering amount of high-quality melo-death steeped in Finland’s biggest export – melancholy. After folding both well-regarded acts and creating Wolfheart, things seemed to take a few steps backward quality-wise.” Have you found the secret that I have lost?

Draconian – Sovran Review

By Steel Druhm on October 27, 2015 in 2015, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Uncategorized, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 84 comments

“My Dying Bride and Anathema invented what we now think of as the goth-tinged doom/death genre back in the early 90s with their respectively earth-shaking debuts. Though many bands have subsequently tried their hand at the style, few have nailed the original sound and mood as well as Draconian.” Sadness, thy name is Draconian.

Wolfheart – Shadow World Review

By Steel Druhm on September 3, 2015 in 2015, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Spinefarm, Black Metal, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 25 comments

“By now we all know Tuomas Saukkonen is a force of nature. He’s Finland’s metal juggernaut as surely as Rogga Johansson is Sweden’s, and over the decades he’s created some brilliant music with Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon and Dawn of Solace. Several years ago and for reasons unknown, he folded all his bands and started fresh with Wolfheart.” The leader of the Finnish pack is back with more sadboy melo-death.

Dark Fortress – Venereal Dawn Review

By Madam X on September 3, 2014 in 2014, Black Metal, Century Media, German Metal, Progressive Death, Progressive Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Progressive Metal, 22 comments

“Concepts are tough nuts to crack, you’ve got to get your story across in roughly 7-10 tracks and at the same time the songs themselves need to stand alone and impress. Venereal Dawn is the latest addition to the now seven-deep discography for German black metallers Dark Fortress and it was three years in the making.” Does Dark Fortress crack said nut? Find out by clicking this handy, dandy link below…

Wolfheart – Winterborn Review

By Steel Druhm on September 24, 2013 in 2013, Black Metal, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Death Metal, 8 comments

“Tuomas Saukkonen is no stranger to the pages of AMG. We’ve spoken very highly of his Before the Dawn and Black Sun Aeon projects and generally came across as nuthugging fanboys of the man’s work. Needless to say, we were as shocked as everyone else when he unexpectedly laid both bands to rest (along with several others) and announced his intention to focus solely on a new act called Wolfheart, which at least initially would consist of just him.” Since we lose two great bands in order to get Wolfheart, is it a fair trade off or did we get screwed? Steel Druhm examines the details and overall fairness.

Cerekloth – In the Midst of Life We are in Death Review

By Madam X on July 12, 2013 in 2013, 4.5, Danish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Hells Headbangers Records, Rating, Releases, Retro Reviews, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 2 comments

“Edvard Munch’s series of paintings, The Scream, has long held a fascination for me, from Munch’s depiction of the blood red sky to the raw emotion and suffering in the screamers eyes, as images they’re almost stifling to look at. Cerekloth have taken The Scream a step further. They’ve intensified the colors, honed in on the screamer, they’ve given you a passage into where this torture is coming from and they’ve added a bone chilling soundtrack – life meets art? Bursting onto the scene back in 2008 after putting blackened death outfit Church Bizarre temporarily on ice, the release of the debut EP Pandemonium Prayers saw Cerekloth added to Hells Headbangers for the release of a demo and an additional EP Halo of Syringes. And now a full 5 years later, Denmark based Cerekloth return with the Reaper in toe driving it home that death is a part of life, putting death and darkness back into death metal with In the Midst of Life We are in Death. Color me embarrassed for letting this devastating collaboration of aggression and chilling sensations slip through the cracks and go unnoticed!” Madam X gets extra dark and scary as she examines the painful and tortured death metal of Cerekloth. You wouldn’t like her when she’s super scary!

Noumena – Death Walks With Me Review

By Steel Druhm on April 3, 2013 in 2013, 3.5, Death Metal, Finnish Metal, Haunted Zoo Productions, Melodic Death Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 19 comments

“Steel Druhm has been banging the drum for little known Finnish act Noumena for quite some time. Ever since stumbling on them, I’ve been a huge fan of their brand of morose, melodic death and I spin their Absence and Anatomy of Life albums all the damn time at Casa de Steelo. In fact, I think Anatomy of Life stands as one of the finest examples of melo-death every recorded. It had all the quintessentially Finnish “dead puppy under the Christmas tree” melancholy you’ve come to expect from countrymen Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum and Rapture, mixed with the guitar wizardry of early In Flames and rounded out with haunting female vocals (and winning guest vocals from Tuomas Tuominen of Fall of the Leafe/Man-Eating Trees to boot).” If you like Finnish melo-death (and you should), you had best join Steel Druhm’s drum circle as he sings the praises of this long overlooked band.

October Tide – Tunnel of No Light Review

By Steel Druhm on March 12, 2013 in 2013, 3.0, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Pulverised Records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 6 comments

“Steel Druhm is a sucker for well done doom death with oodles of morose, melancholy atmosphere. Yep, I like stuff that makes me feel as if I’m slowly drowning in an ice cold Finnish lake as wood gnomes and forest elves cry and throw Mardi Gras beads into the water (just go with it, don’t analyze). Because of these predilections, I heartily enjoyed the last opus from this bunch of downcast Swedes, which featured several members of Katatonia at one time or another. After some line up changes and a few years away from the game, October Tide skulks back with Tunnel of No Light and it’s business as usual (that business being depressing but darkly beautiful music).” But is the business as successful as before? Steel Druhm splashes about and does his best to answer that very question.