Griseus-Aquilus reveiw

Rarely do I find music I find interesting enough to share at No Clean Singing.  I still like that website for the off chance that I will find some entertaining metal, but those moments are growing fewer and further between.  Those of you who know me (or if you haven't guessed yet) know that I'm not fond of 'generic' music at all.  By 'generic' I do not mean that it sounds just like someone else or even dozens of other acts.  What I mean by 'generic' is that it simply conforms too much to the standards of the genre which they choose to perform.  These guidelines get to be much too rigid for too many bands.  And while NCS does cover a wide range of metal, most of it of the extreme category, too much of it is dull and uninteresting in my opinion.

Griseus is a one-man Aussie alternative metal act by Howard "Waldorf" Rosenqvist.  The genre they most associate with is darkened neoclassical folk, whatever that is. 

When I first saw the album cover for "Aquilus", I shrugged, thinking that this was just another black metal band.  Still, I read the review.  And when I did, I was interested enough to listen.  Dabbling equally in post-romanticism, folksy acoustical moments, and atmospheric extreme metal, Griseus manages to convey many different emotions in several styles of music that mesh surprisingly well.

This disc is not your standard fare for symphonic metal.  Most pieces are long, orchestral works with wailing electric guitars and loudly shrieked vocals, which creates a dark and unusually harmonic sound.  This is an album you must hear to believe.  There is no operatic singing, and the metal aspect is less pronounced than you might expect.  This is both a disturbing and memorably beautiful listening experience.  If you do not like extreme vocals at all, there is a chance you won't like this.  However, the vocals are mostly highlights rather than constant roars and shredding howls. 

This record is very unlike anything I have heard.  This project is nothing like SepticFlesh or Mechina or Epica.  It is a beautiful work that stands on its own.  Even if you do not normally listen to music you have never heard before, this might be worth your while. 

For your listening pleasure, the entire album stream, courtesy of Griseus' bandcame page, is below.  Enjoy and let us know what you think.  As always, thanks for reading!