One Chosen by the Gods

I'm always partial to an Americanized interpretation of Scandinavian styles, so long as it is executed with some measure of finesse and ingrained with a fair bit of the stylistic heterogeneity oftentimes present here as opposed to straight-faced transposition. Epic melodic death metal isn't exactly the first on anyone's list when they think of North Carolina, yet here we are with Æther Realm, who draw from a veritable assortment of Finnish mainstays, glossing over the final product with their own creative handprint. It sort of reminds me of Ohio's Hammer Horde, or the now-defunct Virginia export Orna Annon, which puts One Chosen by the Gods in adequately respectable company as far as I am concerned. That's not to say that there aren't a few mishaps along the way, or that Æther Realm are built of the same sturdy eminence that defines those they hope to emulate, but the potential is obvious.

So defining what exactly One Chosen by the Gods is obviously requires a smattering of name drops. We have the obvious Wintersun/Frosttide influence concerning the way the keyboards are implemented, sort of supplementing the swerving, surgical riffing volleys instead of saturating the entire sound in pontifical bombast. I was skeptical at first, but there is certainly an admirable level of balance here with the synths, not unlike Wintersun's debut or some of Ensiferum's more ostentatious moments. This is a decent enough framework to build upon, and Æther Realm surprised me at a few junctures, not limited to the album highlight "Swampwitch." I wonder if this song title was intentional, because the murky note progressions, languid hooks and gang vocals absolutely scream of mid-era Kalmah to my ears.

The implementation of guest vocalists always feels fresh here, as the female caterwauling provided by Elly Jones really helps stabilize some of the more ambitious and symphonic pieces like the impressive closer "Oak." Vincent Jones' (are they related?) lead vocals are another matter altogether. His battle orders are delivered via a fairly capable blackened sneer, but the lyrics themselves are more or less rubbish, and the fact that he is reasonably intelligible results in a few iffy moments. Here we also begin to see the first traces of forced emulation and the imbalances that come with it, specifically the overuse of random grunting every time the tempo drops and a breakdown cycles in. The epic resonance of the album's atmosphere carries it far enough to earn a passing grade, but I would personally love to see more clean vocals integrated in the future.

I do appreciate Æther Realm's ability to toe the line between folk influences and the slugging allure of the guitars, as they rarely push the former to Equilibrium levels of intemperance. The better songs here are quite explosive, including the aforementioned "Swampwitch" along with the more staggered and soundly-constructed "Winter's Grasp." While I wish that the rhythm section would distinguish itself independently as opposed to riding shotgun with the vibrant leads, songs like "Odin Will Provide" contain enough surgical chugging to build up a decent sweat. Overall, I found One Chosen by the Gods to be a hardly unique, yet compelling listen, hampered somewhat by the average production values along with the fact that the vocalist isn't the greatest. That said, this band definitely has all of the prerequisites needed to excel, especially from a logistical point of view. I find no fault in claiming Æther Realm as an act to keep an eye out for, and One Chosen by the Gods an album to procure if you are captivated by this fusion of styles.