Review by Ben for Skepticism - Aes (1999)

An ever-expanding journey that leaves just enough breadcrumbs to find your way home.

There have been numerous instances of bands creating lengthy one-track releases. Edge of Sanity’s brilliant Crimson comes to mind, as do Green Carnation’s Light of Day, Day of Darkness and Meshuggah’s mind-blowing Catch Thirty Three albums. There are of course genres that are more conducive to this sort of thing than the above examples, with drone, ambient and funeral doom being right at the top of the list. Given Skepticism’s penchant for slow, plodding structures that rely on atmosphere and gradually shifting compositions, it’s not at all surprising to find these Finns trying their hand at a singular track EP. I’ll admit that although I thoroughly enjoyed both Stormcrowfleet and Lead and Aether, I was just starting to wonder how long these guys could keep tinkering with the same general blueprint. As with any band, no matter how successful they are, there comes a time where repeated past glories just aren’t enough, so personally I was quite happy that Skepticism were apparently willing to attempt something different. Of course, there was always the danger that they might have simply decided to repeat the same formula for just less than thirty monotonous minutes, but experience had taught me to rest on the side of optimism when it comes to the output of these mysterious individuals.

On first listen I wasn’t so sure that my confidence had been justified, as 1999’s Aes just didn’t grab on to me the way I’d hoped. It would take multiple listens and some focussed concentration to pick out all the nuances of this epic track, and I’ll say straight off that this is not a release for those with short attention spans. Despite those initial listens passing by innocuously, my patience was eventually rewarded with a sudden enlightening connection. Listening to it now, it’s easy to hear that Aes is far more dynamic than the Skepticism material that preceded it, with a wide array of shifts and twists throughout. Yet it unfurls so organically that the listener is not always aware of the transformation, occasionally snapping back from a trancelike state to find their current destination differs greatly from the origin they last recall. It’s for this reason that Aes’ overriding musical theme is so important. If the album had persistently evolved from one phase to the next without any form of repetition, I’m not sure I would ever have been able to put all the pieces together, but the recurrence of one central riff gives the rest of the track the freedom to expand without losing an overriding identity. It’s as though my mind is given the ideal backdrop to wander out into the abyss, while occasionally returning me home for a short comfortable stay, before once again softly encouraging back onto my journey.

The more dynamic structure is not the only difference to past Skepticism releases. Right from the opening moments, it’s clear that Aes has a cleaner production, although I think it probably suffers in comparison to the dirty yet powerful sound of Lead and Aether. The drum sound is much more typical this time around, foregoing the battle-like reverberation that worked so well on the earlier full lengths. There’s also a much greater emphasis on cymbals, with a constant clatter becoming particularly apparent when it temporarily ceases. Obviously, I can’t pick out highlight tracks, but there are a few points within Aes that stand out for me. The minimal chugging riff at the five-minute mark combined with an increasing layering of keyboards works brilliantly and the neat deviations of the core strummed theme are consistently awesome each of the four times it makes its presence felt. It’s without doubt the Egyptian theme that rises in intensity at the halfway mark that rocks my socks though. I’ve always been reminded of an ancient army lumbering through distant wasteland when listening to Skepticism, so this combination is pure magic to me. I kind of wish that they’d spent more time exploring it, but it’s clear Skepticism intended for Aes to push ahead, even when it seems appropriate that it settle in for a while. Aes is possibly not the sort of journey one will undertake frequently, but it is a rewarding and invigorating one for anyone willing to take it.