Black Sun Aeon

Tuesday, 04 October 2011 19:53

Band: Black Sun Aeon
Album: Blacklight Deliverance
Label: Cyclone Empire Records
Tracks: 7
Release Date: 28.10.2011
Lenght: 41' 31'' Riff Score: 7.0/10 How are scores attributed? 'Blacklight Deliverance' shows the darker and personal side of Tuomas Saukkonen, a trip that will lead you through beautiful, sad and aggressive depths. But he is not alone: Sinamore's Mikko Heikkilä and Lunar Path's Janica Lönn walk with him in this journey through Heaven, Hell, life and death.


First of all, when I opened my personal Riff-Mag e-mail and checked that the new Black Sun Aeon's record was already available to preview and to review, my jaw dropped and touched the floor. I'm a huge fan!

"Blacklight Deliverance" is the third record released by Before The Dawn's Tuomas Saukkonen, under the flag of Black Sun Aeon. This is a solo project, but he is not alone. Once again, Sinamore's Mikko Heikkilä is the guest of honour on clean vocals - he is one of the most beautiful and penetrating voices in the Gothic Rock/Metal scene - and there is a third person, this time a female voice: Janica Lönn from Lunar Path.

Just a parentheses before carry on: RoutaSielu is another flag carried by Saukkonen and Heikkilä and together they released the "Piemys" record, in early 2011.

If you know Saukkonen's work without knowing about Black Sun Aeon, you may think this is a copy of Before The Dawn, but it isn't. I admit it is similar, but more personal and darker than Before The Dawn. More: this solo project turned Saukkonen into the «musician of the year» at the Finnish Metal Awards, in 2010.

This time, it is not a double album and for about 40 minutes you will be wandering in the deepest corners of Saukkonen's mind and environment, struggling between beautiful and brutal soundscapes.

"Brothers" sets up the beginning of "Blacklight Deliverance" with a Saukkonen's typical guitar riff. Until here, there are no surprises: regular structure consisting on stanzas and chorus with some orchestrations in the middle. The surprise came in the end of the song when a 2 minutes ambience with accoustic guitar is accompained by an angelical female voice. It would be perfect in the end of the record or as an interludium, but not here. Beautiful anyway!

As a Black Sun Aeon follower, the beginning of the second track, "Solitude", enlightened me that the clean vocals were about to come and I wasn't wrong about that. Janica Lönn starts her participation on this song and the same happens for Mikko Heikkilä during the chorus, doing a duet with Saukkonen as was usual on the "Routa" record which is the previous one. If a «clean vocals versus harsh vocals» duet does work for men, a duet between Janica and Saukkonen was also experienced for a few seconds, but it is more feasible for the guys.

The "Sheol" track is very strong and friendly for the headbanging maniacs without forgetting the Saukkonen's melodic vein with his guitar passages working as bridges that reminds me of Sinamore.

With the "Oblivion" track, Saukkonen stepped back and the lights were directed to Janica and Mikko. I don't want to speculate, but this Janica's collaboration may be her lauching ramp - not just for her, but also for Lunar Path. If Saukkonen picked her to do it, it's because she's good. On another note, if I didn't know I'm listening to Black Sun Aeon I would easily say that "Oblivion" is a Sinamore song.

The "Horizon" track brings us back the harsh vocals and a piano bridge side by side with a cutting guitar riff. In an inevitable way, the final sequence of this song reminds me of the "Frozen" track that is part of the previous record, "Routa" - a mixture between aggressive drums, melodic guitars and Heikkilä's sadness finishes the song.

Sounding like a broken vynil record combined with doomed guitar/piano chords starts the "Wasteland" song, and when listening to those chords, I dare to recall Opeth. This is the most furious song on this "Blacklight Deliverance" album.

Reaching the end, "Nightfall" is the last song and, by the way, this is a nice title to shut the record. With calmness, the sweet voice of Janica is heard, then it goes further to Heikkilä and their participation culminates in a duet performed by both of them. Ahead, Saukkonen emerges and finishes this journey with his words of desperation and agony. Excellent!
Do you remember when I talked about the end part of the first track? So it happens in this last song as a piano postludium.

Without any particular innovation, but with a blend of melody, fierceness and clean/harsh vocals, "Blacklight Deliverance" brings us the gloomy vision of sad thoughts and tight feelings without verging on the depressive.

Once again, applauses to Tuomas Suakkonen and his buddies!


Review by Diogo Ferreira




Post: Diogo Ferreira







Metal Genres: Death Metal | Doom Metal |

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