Album/EP

Aetherial - Nameless Horrors (Album Review)

Kaydan Howison

Oct 19, 2020

7 min read

Aetherial - Nameless Horrors
Released: October 23, 2020

Lineup:

Shep Sheppard | Vocals, Guitar
Cassandra George | Bass

Online:

Official Website
Facebook
Twitter

My uncle died recently. I know, that’s some deep shit right there. But it’s important to sell you the frame of mind I had going into this review. Basically, I’ve done nothing but think of the sweet scent of death. Which probably doesn’t smell that sweet. But under the watchful gaze of this band, I can tell you that it at least ends up being somewhat appealing.

Aetherial are a Melbourne band who presumably were spawned from the deep pit of Tarturus itself because their sophomore album Nameless Horrors is the kind of music that would make Hades cry and Cerebus scream his three heads in a gigantic fit of infinite, eternal rage. The opening song ‘Indifferent to Suffering’ is like a good Cliver Barker novel, the kind that flays your skin with each riff, lashing you endlessly until you’re a meat husk, dancing in a pool of your own blood.

Subsequent songs ‘It’s Only Blood’ and ‘The Grave Empties Itself’ unleash the kind of corpse rotting riffs that want to punch you in the head until you’re smiling in the sweet ecstasy of their unfolding mayhem. The maelstrom enfolding around you will eat you alive and you will do nothing but accept your fate and commit your body to the intoxicating destruction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg6kIATqrYc

‘The Evil Age’ is a pure representation of 2020, it oozes with a general feeling of disdain and all you can feel is the icy cold grip of vocalist Shep Sheppard wrapping their hands around you until you choke to death. Follow up ‘Second Death’ is an especially standout track as the groove orientated riffs kick in and you’re basically dancing on top of a fresh grave, presumably filled with Deadites from The Evil Dead, who are going to rise up out of their graves and scream at you “I’ll swallow your soul!” and then vomit filth all over you until you become one with them and join them in the darkness.

The album ends with ‘Spitting Out Teeth’ and everything from the opening to the closing moments are pure insanity. It’s going to be the song that sends the pit into a hurricane of blood, sweat and Lynx body spray. This is the song you hear when you close your eyes and hear the bleating of Black Phillip begging you to commit your body to the servitude of the dark one. By the time it ends, all you’ll want to do is start again.

Look, this band just really kills it. The production values are top notch, especially the mixing work of Asher Ally who injects these songs with the kind of anti-life that makes them feel like they are beating you in the skull with a hammer. The vocals sound like they are spewing out bloated flies and maggots in the best way possible and this album seeps with darkness, rot and decay. I didn't want to tell you about all of the songs on the album, because everyone loves surprised don't they?!

Overall, this album is like a really good horror film. It’s short, sweet, has a high body count and makes you want to dance in the woods with the witches, nymphs and beasts your brain can’t even comprehend. So just put it on, close your eyes and sail away into oblivion. It’ll be the best high you’ve experienced all year.