Review Summary: An obscure free death gem.
Ages Gone was an avant-garde metal band from Germany, self described as “Free Death”. They existed from 1996 to 2003, releasing a single demo and studio album.
It turns out that this is actually a supergroup, with members consisting of bands such as Skum, Dakria, and Creatures.
And boy is this a weird album. There’s a whole lot to unpack here, so I’ll try my best.
The most surprising aspect right away is how well the synthesizer blends with their death metal sound. Usually when synths are used in death metal, it's almost always black metal influenced. Not here. It sounds cheesy but when the rest of the band kicks in it has time to shine. It dabbles from atonality to compelling melodies.
Another weird element: samples and turntables. It comes in the latter half of the album, starting with Bessy Meets Ages Gone. But it does best in the track Fickpart. I find some of the turntable stuff in 8 to be kind of annoying, so I have to dock some points for that.
We’re not done here yet, since there's also a piano that's integrated into the latter half of the album. Honestly, Martin Rascher’s piano skills on this album are nothing short of beautiful. It fits nicely with the bands all over the place type of vibe. At least going through the annoying turntable stuff in 8, you’re rewarded with more of Martin’s fantastic piano playing.
As for the actual death metal aspects, it's pretty well done. Another factor that greatly plays into the album’s favor is how almost everyone is doing some type of vocals throughout. Everyone except the rhythm guitarist is doing vocals in a 6 piece. All of the members doing vocals sound consistent yet add variety for an album that's already full of it. There’s grooves that go hard, chunky riffs, and tremolo picking throughout the album.
Something that I find funny is that a good portion of the tracks are numbered but were purposely put out of order to throw people off.
This is easily, and by far, the strangest death metal album I’ve listened to. Which I feel means something as someone who strives for the weirdest in the genre. There are so many strange elements that are thrown in that it feels like a melting pot of ideas. Sometimes it blends well, other times they just go crazy. And I really respect that.
It may not be absolutely perfect, but it’s pretty damn close. At least if you seek this sort of music out.
Long live free death.
Recommended Tracks: 10, 7, 9, 6.
