Aegirson: Inside (1997)

French band AEGIRSON was formed back in 1996, and ince then they have released two EPs and two full length albums. "Inside" was their first ever production, and was self-released back in 1997.

The main premise of this band, at least at this stage of their development, appears to be riff and synth constructions, the former of the slow, chugging variety and the latter ranging back and forth between atmospheric, hovering textures and free flowing movements with classical music inspirations. These guys are skilled in utilizing this combination to good effect, the contrasting dark and light sounds creating a strong nerve and presence that is effective and intriguing. But it would appear that they are still searching for manners in which to utilize those themes in an effective manner on this EP.

The songs are fairly repetitive as such, with few instrumental flourishes adding variety to the proceedings. The longer compositions does feature multiple themes and a certain progressive rock aspiration, but without quite managing to crack that particular code to my ears.

Then again, the low quality mix and production might have something to say for this, especially when the instrumental performance does leave a bit to be desired it doesn't help when the technical aspects are on the weak side. Add in a lead vocalist of dubious quality to this mix and you end up with a rather strange beast. A band whose aspirations exceeds their current potential, the latter of which is partially hidden by the technical studio work.

If you have an in interest in melodic heavy metal with refined ideas performed in a not so sophisticated manner, this initial production by Aegirson is one you might want to hunt down. It's lacking in quite a few areas, but their synth and guitar combos should be an intriguing experience for those with a special interest in just such constellations even of the rest of the material might be found lacking in a lot of areas.

My rating: 45/100


Track list:
1. Insurrection 4:17
2. The Fear Inside You 7:23
3. Final Request 7:55
4. Riding Freedom 5:30