Zoät·Aon - Star Autopsy (2005)

Zoät•Aon is one of many very fascinating bands to be found on the Finnish label Aural Hypnox, which specializes in extraordinarily ritualistic dark ambient music. 'Star Autopsy' was created and performed by Jaako Vanhala whom hails from Oulu, Finland.

For a debut album I must admit this is way above average and easily outdoes most veterans in this genre. Zoät•Aon’s music is built around ghostly droning ambiance, odd swirling slightly industrial synth sounds in the foreground, ethereal textures, demonic voices, backwards speaking, a variety of percussion instruments (including human thighbone's) built around a very ritualistic feeling, and so much more that its really hard to put into words. Jaako takes us on one very unfriendly expedition through what could very well be hell itself. The music is incredibly dark and frightening and like label mates, Halo Manash, the voices scattered throughout the recording have that potential to really freak me out after sometime.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but, ‘Dark Grammar’ seems to be one that really stands out. The song has this gruesome ambiance and this weird ringing sort of sound in the background, when suddenly at almost the three minute mark some harsher industrial/noise sounds enter the song and those devilish voices come back again to haunt me. ‘Exo’ is also very good at having an uncomfortable cavernous sentiment to it giving the listener the notion that something is lurking in the dark waiting for them. The two lengthy ending songs (both over eleven minutes) also follow a similar path as the two preceding mentioned songs, and although I probably don’t need to say this, ‘Star Autopsy’ as a whole is bloody amazing!

Star Autopsy also comes in a six panel digipak with silver print, drawings, and is limited to just a thousand copies and is long sold out too. If memory serves me correct this album and Halo Manash’s, 'Syoma' were really one of my first experiences with Finnish dark ambient music.

Much like many bands in heavy metal, the Finns really know how to create something amazing and ultimately quite original and engaging too. If you can find it, this is simply a must hear recording from the Aural Hypnox record label.