Finntastic Interviews, Chapter II: Black Sun Aeon

Two and a half fans can't be wrong, so Metal Review's critically acclaimed yet poorly titled Finntastic Interviews may continue its peaceful life under the gigantic Sword of Damocles, at least for another moment. Rejoice, ye filthy plebeians, because I'm back with a vengeance!

Phallic symbolism and excellent humour aside, this time we have something for those, who get their kicks from melodic but punishing death/doom with a strong, blackened hue. Hailing from Lahti, one of Finland's many metal capitals, Black Sun Aeon may not be at the forefront of the ongoing Finnish metal expansion, but they sure as hell are a force to be reckoned with in contemporary extreme music.

Inside the studio our featured outfit is a good, old-fashioned one-man band, led by none other than Tuomas Saukkonen, the rightful uomo universale of Finnish undergound metal. His career as a musician, promoter, organizer, stage manager and livesafer for one frostbitten megalomaniac works as an example of how to devote one's life to metal or any form of art whatsoever. On stage Saukkonen gets help from the duo of Mynni Luukkainen (Horna, Sotajumala, De Lirium's Order etc.) and Mikko Heikkilä (Sinamore), who both lend their six strings of destruction and throats of doom to complete a tight three-piece, ready to whip our proverbial asses with powerful stage presence and crushing live sound.

As a tangible proof of Saukkonen's dedication to Black Sun Aeon, the band is just about to unleash their sophomore full-lenght only a year after the release of their promising debut, Darkness Walks Beside Me. Black Sun Aeon's second offering, titled Routa (Ground Frost), is going to be nothing less ambitious than a double album akin to Esoteric's colossal The Maniacal Vale. As the name suggests, Routa will take the listener on an engaging trip to the desolate, wintry landscapes of my home country, painting this breathtaking scenery with wide strokes of wailing melodies and pounding riffs.

Again, we are graced with exclusive material from Saukkonen's studio sessions, captured by the dilligent Stalkers, and the band's live performance in last year's Summer Breeze. This time, though, you will not be able to absorb much Finnish, because the interview was conducted in English. Who knows, maybe you'll catch the accent and eventually learn to speak Finglish, the lingua franca of the new decade, widely exported by our plethora of race car drivers. Anyway and to finally cut to the chase: on behalf of Metal Review and Stalkermusic, may I introduce you to Black Sun Aeon.

- JM


Posted Mar 16 2010, 04:08 AM by Juho

Comments

Rev wrote re: Finntastic Interviews, Chapter II: Black Sun Aeon
on Tue, Mar 16 2010 7:09 AM

Really engrossing stuff, and I've never even heard the band. That will change shortly.

LoneWatie wrote re: Finntastic Interviews, Chapter II: Black Sun Aeon
on Tue, Mar 16 2010 8:06 AM

That kicked ass.  Saukkonen's a likeable guy.  And, yes, will definitely be checking out this band.

DeathMetalJesus wrote re: Finntastic Interviews, Chapter II: Black Sun Aeon
on Tue, Mar 16 2010 3:51 PM

I heard this band ages ago and forgot about them. Thanks for the reminder! I'll check out the video soon.