Review Summary: Susceptible to timelessness
There is a handful of bands out there trying to find their way in the rising experimental black metal scene. Acts like Arcturus, Ved Buens Ende and Ihsahn paved a road and crystallized the idea of avant-garde black metal. Aenaon, as inspired pupils, took that idea and slowly but steadily built around it. With their first two albums, Aenaon showed an apparent skill of blending the two seemingly opposing sounds, extreme and jazz. Especially their sophomore album, ''Extance'' (2014), showed a band that was comfortable with their instruments and capabilities, not afraid to employ guests that would advance the compositions. Off with a promising start, followed by a much acclaimed second album, critics and fans were eager to see the next offering by the Greek avant-garde musicians.
''Hypnosophy'' is a neologism and is one of the many words that they have come up with in order to describe better their lyrical context. Roughly, it translates into ''The Science - or wisdom - of Sleep''. The striking title and the eerie, dreamlike and vibrant album art, made by Łukasz Wodyński, are but a mere notion of the quality that hides inside.
The band opts to harden their sound and construct songs that may shine individually, but together can put the listener through a dark and psychotic experience. The bookends represent the best elements of their music. Opening track ''Oneirodynia'' (neologism that means 'The Suffering of Dreams') starts off slowly and then comes full force, with a groovy saxophone (played by Orestis) that is weaved with the heavy rhythm section and the thunderous drumming. The vocals, manic and theatrical as ever, almost recite, rather than sing. The tone and atmosphere that are set remain unabated till the end, where the album closes with their longest song to date, ''Phronesis -Psychomagic'', easily considered their magnum opus. The intro is atmospheric and slow, with a haunting solo from an omnipresent saxophone. Slower tempo, lower vocals and an underlying sense of upheaval lead to a climax, where ''Phronesis...'' proves itself to be a tour de force. Enveloping top notch musicianship, intelligent song-writing and unique sounds, is the best way to let the curtain fall.
It is important to note that the album's virtues are not exhausted on those two songs. Each and every track on ''Hypnosophy'' is masterfully crafted. Little details are hidden everywhere: new instruments are used, from sitar to bouzouki (played by Nycriz) and featured vocalists leave their fingerprints indelibly, both Sofia Sarri on ''Void'', as well as George Papagiannakis, that is responsible for all the clean vocals on the album. The band is confident to try new things, experiment and ultimately wins the bet. There is not one song that objectively lacks in quality, not one moment that is not thoroughly well-thought.
''Hypnosophy'' is a trademark album, not only for the band, but also for the fans of avant-garde and black metal. It wouldn't be a hyperbole to say that it is one of the best offers in the realm of extreme sound, in 2016. It swings among moods as easily as it hops from genre to genre. Emotion is expressed raw, however controlled. The music is loud, yet pleasant, experimental, yet familiar. Formidable, but still humane. Daring to delve into the human psyche and its controversies, dialogues with the Id and returns to the surface, like a philosopher of Plato, to talk about dreams and nightmares in a way that Freud could never imagine.
