
Aspiring
-- Aphyxion --
21/04/2020
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Melodic death metal |
■ | Metalcore |
Album artists:
■ | Michael Vahl | Vocals |
■ | Jonas Haagensen | Guitar, clean vocals |
■ | Jesper Haas | Guitar |
■ | Jais Jessen | Bass |
■ | Jakob Jensen | Drums |
Review written by Glenn “Terra Shredder” Van Bockstaele.
Aphyxion is a Danish melodic death metal band formed in 2006. After
releasing a trio of EPs between 2008 and 2010 they made their first big waves
when they won the 2011 Wacken Metal Battle Denmark. In 2014 they released their
debut full-length “Earth Entangled” and succeeded that album “Aftermath” in
2016 and now we have “The Void.” Released through Danish record label Prime
Collective and sent to us by our German friends at All Noir.
The album kicks off with the aggressive “Fork Tongued,” with intense
galloping beats, sharp guitars and raging vocals. The following tune,
“Sleepwalkers” is much more melodic and features clean vocals from Jonas
signing in duet with Michael’s raw grunts. The “Restless Nights” track returns
to the more metalcore influenced style of the album’s opening track for a
thunderous and badass track and so is the next track “Crown of Thorns,” which
has a very anarchic feel.
The album’s fifth track, “Happily Apathetic,” brings back the band’s
melodic death metal side with soaring guitars and a powerful, cleanly sung chorus.
The next song, “A Gap of Sky,” is significantly darker with a melancholic
undertone and desperate vocals. “Sedate Myself” is a beautiful metalcore tune with
epic guitar work and its next track, “Pain” is a very intimate song with gentle
riffs that explode during the chorus. “No Man is an Island” is another sweet track
with relentless vocals backed up by melodic guitars. “Stronger in the End” is
just a good-old metalcore grind and finally “Void’s” title track mixes frantic
beats with ambient interludes.
All in all, Aphyxion successfully mixes melodic death metal with a lot
of metalcore influences, making this a very energetic and enjoyable album
recommended for fans of both subgenres. Now it’s time to enter the “Void.”
80/100