Aeon Of Awareness - The Embracing Light Of Rarohenga

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Date: 17 Jan 2025

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. Lebenslast

3. Lysis

4. Hine-nui-te-pō

5. Te Atua

6. Ira Di(e)mensions

7. Tūmatauenga

8. Fort Forest

9. King Kauri

So here we are. 2024 is behind us and a new year has already begun. 2024 actually turned out to be a very good year for the blog and I'm optimistic about 2025 as well. I'm hitting the ground running by focusing on this year's releases whenever I can, starting with the debut album from German death metallers Aeon Of Awareness. 

The Embracing Light Of Rarohenga promises to be a mix of melodic death metal and Maori mythology (two things I wasn't expecting to say in the same sentence!). Aeon of Awareness formed in 2020 as a duo, releasing two EPs prior to this full-length recording (and an expansion of their line-up), which will be officially available digitally on 17th January. 

Starting with a dramatic and orchestral ‘Intro’, Aeon Of Awareness do nothing to prepare you for their Aotearoa-themed German death metal (yes, I know that sounds weird!). ‘Lebenslast’ contains much more European influence with driving blasts, marching riffs and typically harsh vocals, that are accentuated by the quartet’s mother tongue. So far so good in the musical department. ’Lysis’ takes up the exact same form as ‘Lebenslast’, but with additional Scandinavian influences. Those influences won’t come as a surprise if you’re an avid death metal fan, as it’s such a prominent sub-genre across Europe. Aeon Of Awareness make it sound effortless, especially for a debut album!

‘Hine-nui-te-pō’ is a fine way to integrate their love of Maori mythology, as Aeon Of Awareness allow their instrumentation to take centre-stage with glorious melodic riffs and towering atmosphere. To my ears, the vocals are still in German, so the Maori influence may only be found in the lyrics (please correct me if I’m incorrect here though). ‘Te Atua’ breaks up the heaviness briefly thanks to it’s use of soothing piano and delicate strings. The album’s latter half kicks everything back into gear after a mere pause for breath and ‘Ira Di(e)mensions’ re-introduces you to the band’s full-flowing death metal, except there’s greater use of tempo and time changes now. It’s hard to ignore just how mature this album sounds. 

‘Tūmatauenga’ is the longest and grandest song on The Embracing Light Of Rarohenga. The lyrics early on sound very much like they’re being delivered in traditional Maori language but I’m no expert in this field and later on the band switches between different languages to heighten the intrigue. Penultimate song ‘Fort Forest’ sees Aeon Of Awareness moving back in a proper thrash/death metal direction with up-tempo everything. It’s a clever way to pep things up towards the end of the album and once again stirs the rousing feeling that was created earlier on. The chunky, melodic riffs do a great job too!

That up-tempo atmosphere carries on through to album closer ‘King Kauri’, where it’s abundantly clear that Aeon Of Awareness are serious about their craft. The use of Maori themes/language could easily have come across as a gimmick but that isn’t the case. While the music isn’t breaking any new ground progressively or experimentally, it is performed with true heart and passion, which is all that matters. The Embracing Light Of Rarohenga will be well received I’m sure.

You can stream purchase album single 'Hine-nui-te-pō' via bandcamp below, in advance of the full-release:-

Aeon Of Awareness - https://www.facebook.com/AoA666