Album number 4 from one man black metal entrepreneur (his albums are mostly self released and self produced) Ron Vento (I.C.E, Lestregus Nosferatus), whose band Aurora Borealis has served as a stepping stone for three of drumming’s biggest names as Tony Laureano, Derek Roddy (Nile, Malevolent Creation, Divine Empire, Council of the Fallen, Hate Eternal), Tim Yeung (Vital Remains, Agiel, Hate Eternal, Decrepit Birth, The Tenth Circle) have served in the bands ranks and now teaming back up with Mr. Vento for Relinquish is Tony Laureano again (Nile, Angelcorpse, Internecine, God Dethroned), for this latest effort.The formula for Aurora Borealis has been pretty simple, and though Ron Vento appears to have added some slower segments to his repertoire, speed still kills in the bands black/death metal attack. Of course, the percussion is ferocious and tighter than fuck and Vento delivers razor sharp, blazing fast riffs along with a black metal snarl with little care for anything other than sheer US glazed blackened tenacity.

Though more varied than Time, Unveiled, Aurora Borealis will never be mistaken for a progressive or experimental band as Vento is content to only let a more than few snippets of restraint surface through the shimmering fury as tracks like “River Through the Skies”, the Romanic “Let the Games Begin” and “The Red Flag”. Other wise Aurora Borealis stick to the tried and true, more rigid, scathing nature of “Myth of the Light”, “Ravaged By Fire”, ‘God Wills It ” and “Tonight We Feast” and epic closer “Black Snow”.

Vento’s production is a good as it gets and stands up fine to so called big studio productions and the Mike Hbrovak’s (Divine Rapture) artwork make Relinquish an independent release with big label quality, production and attitude. How one the many smaller labels nas not snatched Aurora Borealis up yet is beyond me….

[Visit the band's website]

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