When Icarus Falls – Aegean (2012)

In a truly epic and devastating manner, today we have Swiss Post-Hardcore moshers When Icarus Falls and their sophomore full-length release “Aegean”. In this seven-track release the band delivers punishing anthems that remind us of a mixture of The Ocean with Neurosis and Amenra with a few hints of the Post-Metal elements of Cult of Luna. With the recording in charge of Julien Felhman, the band taps into their inner demons and unleashes one hell of a release.

The riffing onslaught beings with the soul crushing “A Step Further”, a track that delivers crystal clear guitars and super harsh vocals. With a similar production sound to Neurosis and The Ocean, the band’s powerful guitar/vocal attacks are perfectly delivered. As the tracks bleeds into the album title track, subtle drums are very well used to bridge the two songs. “Aegean” delivers 9-minutes of intensity that constantly keeps growing over time. The vocals again take center stage as they are very powerful and greatly contrast the Post-Metal / Sludgy music laid out.

“Acheron” delivers a more traditional Sludge approach to things with crushing riffs and well spaced drumming patterns. Going more experimental, “The Asphodel Meadows Part 1” is a nice instrumental piece to give the listener a breather as the release moves on with “What We Know Thus Far”. In this track, the band opens with a powerful bass guitar line taking center stage while the singer keeps blasting away with his super devastating pipes. We particularly love the Post-Metal edge that this song has as well.

Perfectly setting the mood for the monolithic “Hades”, the track “Tears of Daedalus” is a very eerie atmospheric piece that reminded us of Elend in its good days. “Hades” is indeed our favorite track both musically and atmospherically. Musically, the riffing is top notch and greatly carves out the heaviness needed for the killer vocals. Atmospherically, this song creates lush landscapes that transport the listener into the band’s unique world. We have never quite heard something this intoxicating before, with the exception of a few Neurosis tracks that come close, but not as good as this.

If you are a fan of bands like The Ocean, Neurosis, and similar Post-Hardcore/Metal / Sludge acts, When Icarus Falls is one band to keep your eyes on. The band has great creativity in constructing epic songs that are both extremely harsh and aesthetically beautiful. Adding an excellent production behind such a great band, and the result is “Aegean”, one hell of a release that any fan of the genre should call a must-have from now on.

Release: September 24th, 2012

Genre: Post Hardcore / Sludge / Post- Metal

Country: Switzerland