| ...oF The Fallen (CD) | 1997 | MIA Records |
The first hints that something was wrong can be found on the cover. Two songs titles on the sleeve are actually printed with spelling mistakes 'Rennissance' and 'Beautiful Black Heart'. The artwork also looks slightly dodgy, especially on the backside. While sloppy, it's probably due to the small record-label they got signed too. And it really is the music that matters, so lets bring on Rick McCoy's massive death-grunt, the slow pounding riffing and sad -be it synthesised- violin! Well, actually.. no. Because '...of the Fallen' suddenly shows a totally different Avernus than on their previous demos!
As it later turned out, at the time this album was written drummer and fellow band-founder Rick Yifrach had gradually lost his interest in extreme metal and had become a huge fan of popular folk music, as made by Loreena McKennitt. The rest of the band followed his change in musical direction and as such '... of the Fallen' sounds like a strange soft mix of doom-metal with Arabic and Folk influences.
Rick McCoy does not grunt, but does a -not always too successful- attempt at actual singing. The music lacks impact and force and is mostly filled with sometimes overly simplistic semi-catchy melodies. A female session vocalist Rhiannon also sings on many of the tracks and we get semi-folk interludes replete with tambourine and flute. These folk elements are actually some of the best things found on the entire album. Still, when you compare them to real folk or medieval music they simply cannot compare. Just as with the cover of the album, it all comes across a bit amateur.
Is it all bad then, you may ask? Well it is all pretty dire, right down to the recording quality. But once you give the album a few more spins it does sort of grow on you. Because of its more mellow nature, it's good background music. One might even say it's perfect for elevators or phone-waiting music if you wanted to be mean. More seriously however, it's a nice album to mellow out to and just relax. It doesn't demand much attention and some of the melodies are actually quite catchy. Perfect if you’re in the mood for some easy listening (doom)-metal. In some ways the album is also ahead of its time, mixing in folk elements with doom-metal. On some songs it actually works exceptionally well, such as 'Thousand Spirits'. But these highlights remain few and far between.
After the release of this album the band completely lost track. The album wasn't received well by fans and did exceptionally badly. Not long afterwards, personal conflicts within the band also caused various line-up changes. Founding member Rick Yifrach also left the band back at this point. Avernus produced various mediocre to downright bad demos and promos afterwards in the vein of '..of the Fallen'. Only years later did they pick up on their old style as found on their 'Sadness' demo. At some point Rick Yifrach also rejoined the band after personal differences where sorted out (initiated by an article written on doom-metal.com by Rick McCoy). These days, the band works hard on creating a much more professional and powerful mixture of Folk and Doom-metal. Without abandoning their roots the band is set to hopefully in the near future finally record an album that will sound like '...of the Fallen' actually should have sounded.
1. Blood gathers Frost
2. If I could Exist
3. By Loves Will... chaos
4. Rennissance
5. Ghost
6. Thousand Spirits
7. Beautiful Black Heart
8. Still Warm Ashes
Approx. 40 minutes
| Where the Sleeping Shadows Lie (Comp. CD) | 2000 | Cursed Productions |
'Where the Sleeping Shadows Lie' offers us an overview of the bands history through the many demo's they recorded. It contains the full 'Sadness' demo, one track from the never released 'Godlessness' demo, both songs from the 'Metalfest Promo' and two songs from the never released 'Downpour' demo.
The 'Sadness' demo and the one track from the 'Godlessness' demo are the main reasons every doom fan should own this album. These two works are perhaps some of the most brilliant death/doom ever recorded (even challenging the mighty 'Turn Loose the Swans' from My Dying Bride). Extremely heavy, melancholic but also catchy with a wonderful -fake- violin (synth) and some sporadic female vocals. Basically these works are genre classics and every death/doom fans should own it, no questions asked.
I do think it is a bit of a shame that the song 'Anastasia II: The Resurrection' from the 'Godlessness' demo isn't featured on this compilation, as it is my favourite Avernus track.
The rest of the album is a bit more questionable. As the only original member that is left, Rick McCoy, explains in the highly interesting liner notes the following tracks are rather different. Rick explains how the band went through a musical crisis and drastically changed styles. This means the rest of the album is filled with a different type of music. Celtic, Arabic and Gothic influences and clean vocals get introduced and the music isn't that heavy anymore.
The track 'Dreamburn' is still very emotional in my opinion. This could however mean that there is something wrong with me because as Rick jokingly puts it in the liner notes: "Yet, a lot of people really seemed to like this song. What's wrong with you?".
The last four songs are also all right but definately seem to miss focus. I can't really say much more then that about them. I urge you to get this compilation mainly for the first 6 songs and see the rest as a nice addition.
1. An Endless Sea of Evening
2. The Faustian Heart
3. Anastasia
4. Ashes of Adoration
5. Godlessness
6. Dreamburn
7. Disappear
8. Silver and Black
9. For Every Waking Moment
10. Downpoor
Approx. 78 minutes
Original releases:
Sadness (1994)
Godlessness (1995)
Metalfest promo (1997)
Downpour (1998)
| Where Forgotten Shadows Die (Bootleg) | 2000 | No Label |
'Where Forgotten Shadows Die' is a live registration of a show on the 17th of September 2000 featuring 3 songs from the 'Sadness' demo ('An Endless Sea of Evening', 'The Faustian Heart' and 'Anastasia') and two new and unreleased tracks ('The Isolationist' and 'A Rift in Aura').
The sound quality is surprisingly good and it's great to hear that Avernus have no problem at all playing these tracks live. The sad and depressive nature of the songs is kept intact, something that not every doom band can claim when they play live.
Especially the new tracks are really exciting to hear. It is an almost complete return to the 'Sadness' demo years. Sad and soul crushing music, grunts and the occasional clean vocals. My hat goes off for these guys and if these two songs mean anything then I can not wait to hear a full length new album (come on labels sign this band!!).
1. An Endless Sea of Evening
2. The Faustian Heart
3. The Isolationist
4. A First in the Aura
5. Anastasia
Approx. 50 minutes
| The Stor Sessions (Rehearsal tracks) | 2002 | None |
Those, the opening words to 'Isolationist', set the mood perfectly for this very rare rehearsal CD. Avernus may be without a record label for the time being, but it does not stop them from working on and recording new tracks. 'The Stor Sessions' are, as the band notes them selves, very crude first recordings meant for a possible new album. The band also expressed that they aren't 100% happy yet with the sound on this album, which is something I can understand.
Avernus have clearly stepped off the path they took with their debut album and are back in the Death/Doom business. Some of the more melodic parts however do linger as sometimes-unpleasant ghosts from the past. Vocalist Rick for example still uses clean vocals every so often and the music is a little less dark then for example found on the cult 'Sadness' demo. Because of this it did take me quite some while to get into some of the songs. I have nothing against clean vocals or lighter passages, but some songs felt, quite understandable, very unfinished to me.
The absolute highlight is the powerful opener 'Isolationist'. The band has been playing this track live for some time and it clearly is the best-developed song on this cd. It's a song worthy to stand beside killer tracks like 'Anastasia' and 'Godlessness'. The other songs show a lot of promise but, as is to be expected on a rehearsal-demo, are still a little ruff around the edges. All the tracks featured have that trademark Avernus feel to them, mixing very slow metal with keys. Rick changes a lot between his powerful grunt, insane screams and clean vocals.
All in all this is a very enjoyable album and very promising for a future release of Avernus. I do hope that Rick won't use his clean vocals as on the finished product as he has here. He is a great vocalist, but his singing is clearly much weaker than his grunt. Also I hope the band will stick to the Death/Doom path this time, as I do already sense some lighter tendencies that caused them to go so off course on their debut album. These are however minor concerns, as overall it sounds great!
The album ends with a sample taken from the first Ghostbusters movie, something you don't expect to find that quickly on a doomy album. Strangely enough it works quite well!
1. Isolationist
2. Rift in the Aura
3. Dead Man's eyes
4. The Devil I know
5. Nobody Lives forever
Approx. 50 minutes
| Bury Me In Fire (MCD) | 2003 | None |
I believe Rick Yifrach's return is quite essential for the sound found on this new Mini CD. As far as I am aware, he was one of the main driving forces behind the more oriental and Celtic sounds mixed into the debut album. 'Bury me in Fire' also again sees the introduction of these "Loreena McKennitesc sounds". This time around however the band does not repeat the mistakes found on '..Of the Fallen' and also stay true to their heavier death/doom sound.
'Bury me in Fire' sees a good mix of Avernus as they were during the 'Sadness' and 'Godlessness' demo’s and the good parts of their '..Of the Fallen' debut. What the band originally set out to do in 1997 seems to finally have come together. Long melancholic guitar lines, bellowing grunts and melancholic metal spiced up with all sorts of "Loreena McKennitesc" musical influences. This time around the influences are well hidden and are part of this very same music. Avernus as such succeeds in creating some creative Death/Doom again which is very interesting to listen to.
That is not to say this Mcd is faultless. The band themselves already mentioned they were not 100% content with the sound on this Mcd and I agree with them. Avernus are getting very close, but just lack that critical and ever mysterious "edge" to push this Mcd to the level of for example their 'Sadness' demo. It's good, but could use just that little extra boost. I am sure the band will manage to achieve this in the near future again. Avernus has had countless problems and released both brilliant music and mediocre music, but overall I feel this band does keep growing and still has the potential to create something wonderful.
Overall I think 'Bury me in Fire' shows good progression compared to 'The Stor Sessions' and 'The Isolationist' promo's, although it lacks a real attention grabbing song such as 'The Isolationist's title track. Highly enjoyable Death/Doom of a band that never seems to have gotten any lucky breaks, while deserving more then a few.
1. Bury me in Fire
2. Bastard Sons of Man
3. Losing Feeling
Approx. 21 minutes