Review Summary: Run of the mill death metal done well is still run of the mill death metal.
Aeon are stuck with the unfortunate distinction of being hindered by their own consistency.
Path of Fire is their weakest album yet, but there's surprisingly little separation between it and their last two.
Bleeding the False was their angriest, most comically anti-Christian release, while
Rise to Dominate toned down the lyrical goofiness in favour of a heightened emphasis on grooves and some truly outstanding guitar work.
Path of Fire is somewhere in the middle, and its surprisingly non-threatening as a result.
They're still pissed off at everything holy, and the guitar work is still top notch, but without the excesses of its predecessors--be they lyrical or technical--
Path of Fire doesn't give me much to talk about. I guess the giggle-led monologue in “Kill Them All” is peculiar enough to point out, but for the most everything bleeds together. There are a lot of pinch harmonics, some high/low scream/growl alternating and a fair bit of chugging and blasting, but outside of “Of Fire”'s synthesized 'oohing' and 'aahing' every song is basically the same.
Path of Fire isn't bad. As far as being a modern Deicide clone, Aeon are still at the top of their game; but after two very similar sounding albums, their third does little to distinguish itself. You could listen to this, but I'd say go back an album or two instead. Better yet, just listen to Defaced Creation's
Serenity in Chaos and be done with it.
