I knew the name Aodon sounded familiar, but when I signed up for this promo, I couldn’t place my finger on why.  I picked it because I like atmospheric black metal and I like Willowtip Records, but in trying to figure out why Portraits called to me, I discovered that back in 2020 I listened to their new (at the time) album 11069 and really enjoyed it.  Blame it on the fact that 2020 feels like a decade ago, but once I remembered that factoid, a lot about Portraits just made sense, and the rather daunting amount of pieces started to put themselves together.

I should have known from the artwork.  Although created by two different people (credit to Alex Eckman-Lawn for the excellent painting on the cover of Portaits), the aesthetic of each is similar: a humanoid figure, whose empty insides are able to be gazed upon.  This touches on the heart of the musical and lyrical content of Portraits: the dark depths of human nature and the nothingness that lies inside us all.  Portraits is an apt title for the record, not just because it serves as a self-reflection, but because this exploration of human nature is told through nine stories about nine different characters, some real and some fictional.  Each track follows the dark destiny of a particular character and explores how they ultimately meet their fate, through misery, ego, addiction, belief, violence, obedience, abuse, destruction and love.  You should already know that this won’t be an easy listen, but the sequencing and aesthetic of Portraits hooked me right away because it bears a striking similarity to another album incredibly dear to my heart, although in no other way stylistically similar to this one: The Mountain Goats’ All Hail West Texas.  Each track similarly explores the motivations and downfalls of a group of characters, although on Portraits, it seems there are no happy endings for anyone involved.  The music follows, with the French trio giving in to every compositional whim they had, from hostile and enraged to melodic and immersive.  The full weight of the human condition is represented here and while it can be a bit heavy-handed at times, it’s hard to argue with how seriously they take the concept here.

To describe Aodon as black metal might miss the point a little bit.  If you had to put them in a box, sure, they could occupy that space and people probably wouldn’t look too hard at it, but like the characters that make up Portraits, the music contains multitudes.  There are progressive elements, melodic elements, dissonance and shades of death metal and ambience all wrapped up into one package.  The main point about this album is that it is extremely intense, from an emotional standpoint and from a musical standpoint.  Despite the fact that the attention to the dynamics of the album are quite well thought out, there are almost no moments where you get a break from the bleak melancholia and the punishing guitars, even in the quiet and contemplative moments, but man are they well executed.  Drummer/singer/composer/lead guitarist M-Kha works absolute magic in weaving together a near-constant barrage of warbling melodies that alternate between soaring highs and sickening lows.  For every moment on here that is achingly beautiful, there is another that makes me want to vomit, but trust that is a feature, not a bug.  Portraits takes you places, and you have to be willing to go down very deep and very dark along the way, but the stories are captivating and the music sells them to you in a way that makes you keep wanting to come back for more.

Portraits is brooding and despondent in a way that transcends black metal.  It’s a character study, it’s a lesson in the human condition, it’s an existentialist novella and more all wrapped up into one punishing package.  There is a lot to unpack here, but it’s worth taking the time to dive in.  Just don’t gaze into the abyss for too long.

-Ian

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Portraits is out June 9 on Willowtip Records.  For more information on Aodon, visit their Facebook page.