J-Man Northern Lights was a major step forward for Aurora Borealis. By this point in their career, this black/death metal act had already already established themselves as one of the most promising bands on the scene, and their first two releases were ones that impressed in nearly every regard. With Northern Lights, however, Aurora Borealis went from making "damn good" music to making "completely unbelievable" music. This album represented some of the strongest material that Aurora Borealis had written up until that point, and it still stands as one of the band's finest achievements. Ron Vento's top-notch guitar work, Derek Roddy's insane drumming, and the crushingly brutal riffs make this effort an absolute success from every aspect. Anyone with even a passive interest in black/death metal should put Northern Lights on the top of their priority list - this masterpiece from 2000 is not to be missed!

Aurora Borealis has always played a style of technically-inclined black/death metal, and Northern Lights doesn't differentiate itself much from the band's other works. There are a few acoustic sections, melodic riffs, or even the tribal-like drumming in "Distant", but this is first-and-foremost an extreme metal record filled with blast beats, fast tremolo picking, and raw vocals. What really makes Northern Lights even more impressive than its predecessors is the sheer power of the compositions - seldom do I hear so many memorable, fresh riffs on one album. The fantastic execution makes these unrelenting compositions even more impressive, even to the point where I could consider tracks like "Draco" and "Thrice Told" among the finest in all of extreme metal. Ron Vento has always been one hell of a guitarist, and his powerful style of riffing, parred by equally stellar solos, makes his performance on Northern Lights one of the best I've heard. And, of course, the drumming from Derek Roddy is equally impressive. The man is simply a technical behemoth, to say the least, and dishes out plenty of relentless blast beats and an added edge of sophisticated fills to always keep things interesting. Ron Vento's rock-solid bass playing and tortured vocal performance help flesh-out the atmosphere even more, leading to a chaotic (yet somehow beautiful) journey through the deepest depths of extreme metal.

My major complaint about the previous Aurora Borealis album, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace, lied in the hands of the muddy production. Although Northern Lights maintains the raw, unpolished fury of the previous album, it somehow sounds a bit more complete and enjoyable than their debut. This isn't nearly as well-produced as albums like Timeline: The Beginning and End of Everything, and I still would've liked a slightly more professional production, but it's not problematic enough to serve as a detriment to my listening experience. And, when the music is this good, it's hard for mediocre sound quality to get in the way of my enjoyment.

I always seemed to think that Aurora Borealis got better over time, but it seems that they also peaked early with this amazing sophomore album. Northern Lights is a fantastic effort, and also one of the best albums in the death/black metal genre. I've had an absolute blast listening to this observation, and even though it took a few listens to "click", I can now recognize this album as an outstanding extreme metal masterpiece. 4.5 stars and a strong recommendation are very well-deserved. Along with Timeline: The Beginning and End of Everything, this is probably the best entry point into the wonderful world of Aurora Borealis.

J-Man Released two years after their promising debut EP, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace was the first full-length outing from American black/death metal outfit Aurora Borealis. Since the release of Mansions of Eternity, the band has seen a major change in their lineup as Tony Laureano has left the drum throne and is replaced by the equally impressive Derek Roddy. Jason Ian-Vaughn Eckert has also been welcomed to the fold as the band's bass player. This means that (as would be the case for much of Aurora Borealis's career), the only remaining member from the previous effort is Ron Vento. Even though this is only their debut album, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace contains some of the strongest material from Aurora Borealis to date, and is filled to the brim with terrific riffs and outstanding musicianship. Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace suffers from a few technical shortcomings that keep it from reaching the heights of the more-recent Aurora Borealis albums, but the musicianship and compositions are outstanding enough to make this one an easy recommendation.

Stylistically, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace is a mix of death metal and black metal with an additional technical edge that sets Aurora Borealis apart from many of the genre's pioneers. This album is a bit more black metal-oriented than some of their later efforts, with the fast tremolo picking, high-pitched vocals, and blastbeat drumming immediately reminding me of the Norwegian pioneers. Still, there are quite a few downtuned riffs and uber-technical drum patterns that lean more in the direction of Morbid Angel than Darkthrone. Aurora Borealis has also always had an added technical edge that differentiated them from most old school bands, and that is certainly present on Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace. Derek Roddy's frantic drumming is especially technical - Ron Vento always picked the most top-notch drummers to participate on Aurora Borealis albums, and Derek does an absolutely terrific job here. In addition to being bone-crushingly heavy most of the time, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace also contains a few melodic sections with acoustic guitars, like in "Calm Before" or at the end of "For Your Comprehension". It adds some nice variation into the mix, and the melodic sections are always placed perfectly.

Although Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace is near-flawless in every regard I've mentioned thus far, the production must be mentioned as the album's major setback. The flat and rather lifeless sound doesn't do the album justice, and the drums often sound too high in the mix. While certainly competent and listenable - it's certainly worth overlooking the sub-par production in exchange for such great music - I really would've enjoyed this album even more if it had a sleek production.

Production flaws aside, Praise the Archaic Lights Embrace is certainly among the better Aurora Borealis albums I've heard, and an easy recommendation to any fan of death/black metal. Especially considering the band has generously offered this (along with the rest of their discography) for free download on their webpage, now seems to be the best time to check out this gem if you've ignored it in the past. I'd say somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars are deserved for this one. Aurora Borealis certainly got off on the right foot with this debut... and the best was still yet to come...

J-Man After departing from his previous band, Lestregus Nosferatus, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ron Vento headed to the fertile extreme metal soil of Florida in search of a musician to collaborate with. It turns out that here he met Tony Laureano, one of extreme metal's finest drummers, and they ended up forming Aurora Borealis and recording Mansions of Eternity, the band's debut EP. Tony parted ways with Aurora Borealis after this release due to his busy schedule (he returned 10 years later for Relinquish), but Mansions of Eternity represents an extremely promising start for this extreme metal duo, even if this lineup would be very short-lived. While not quite up there with the strength of some of the band's more recent full-lengths, Mansions of Eternity is a very promising and damn impressive debut effort from one of America's finest black/death metal exports.

The music on Mansions of Eternity is very much like Aurora Borealis' later output, albeit a bit more unpolished and raw. That means you should expect black/death metal with a technical edge; super-technical drum patterns, blast beats, fast tremolo picking, and harsh black metal-styled vocals are the name of the game here. Mansions of Eternity isn't without variation, though, and the more melodic sections keep the EP fresh and exciting throughout its entire near-27 minute duration. Highlights here include the perfect opening track, "Crowned With Embalment", and the slightly progressive "Slave to the Grave". All of the songs are well worth your attention, though, as they are filled with memorable riffs and fantastic displays of technical prowess. Musicianship has always been a high point in Aurora Borealis' music, and that's no exception on this humble debut EP. The relentless fretwork from Ron Vento never ceases to amaze and the manic drumming from Tony Laureano (Nile, Angelcorpse, Dimmu Borgir) is insane, to say the least. Mansions of Eternity also possesses an extremely raw and unpolished production, but I really enjoy it. Sure, it isn't as crystal-clear as their newer efforts, but you can still understand everything that's going on and the raw atmosphere suits the music perfectly. The fat sound of the drums makes it pretty clear that this EP was mixed and mastered by the now-legendary Scott Burns (famous for producing albums by Cynic, Gorguts, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Terrorizer, Sadus, Psychotic Waltz, Atheist etc.).

So even though Aurora Borealis has released some stronger material since this 1996 debut EP, Mansions of Eternity still stands as an extremely impressive effort that I'd recommend to just about any extreme metal fan. Ron Vento & co. really were a powerhouse since conception, and that shines ever so brightly on Mansions of Eternity. I'll play my 3.5 star card here and advise everyone to head over to Aurora Borealis' official website and check this one out. After all, it is available for free!

J-Man Time, Unveiled is the third album from Aurora Borealis - a band that has very much impressed me over the last few months. Their brand of death/black metal filled with blistering technicality has really captured me, and albums like Timeline: The Beginning and End of Everything and Relinquish can be considered some of the best the genre has to offer. Time, Unveiled, while much more rough around the edges than the aforementioned albums, is still a damn good extreme metal observation that all fans of the band and genre should take a look into. If extremely punishing and memorable riffs are right up your alley, this album has plenty of them to offer.

The music on Time, Unveiled is death/black metal with nods in the direction of Morbid Angel, Deicide, and Panzerchrist. Aurora Borealis also has an added technical edge (especially in the drum department) that leads me to think of acts like Suffocation or The Faceless. The main black metal influence in the band's music rests in the high-pitched screaming vocals that sound like they're straight from the early Norwegian black metal movement. Some tremolo picking and blast-beat drumming may also hint more towards black metal than death metal. Regardless of whatever tags you want to give this band (I tend to think blackened death metal may be the most accurate), the most important part is that Time, Unveiled is filled with some of the most punishing and enjoyable extreme metal out there. The frantic drumming from Tim Yeung, top-notch fretwork from Ron Vento, and tortured vocals (also from Ron Vento) create an irresistibly heavy atmosphere - and the excellent compositions surely don't let these assets go to waste. The short playing time also allows for the album to feel like a quick punch in the face, rather than a drawn-out bore. Music this brutal needs to be fast and powerful - and that's exactly what Time, Unveiled is.

The only significant complaint I could come up with about this album is the production. Although certainly competent (this isn't bad by any means), it pales in comparison to the fantastic productions of the band's more recent releases. The drums sound a bit flat and the overall sound is pretty raw and unpolished. Although I have no issue with raw productions, Aurora Borealis' brand of technical songwriting demands a bit more of a professional sound. The two bonus tracks ("Sixteenth Chamber" and "Slave to the Grave") are also not mixed as well as the rest of the album - understandable since they are demo tracks, but it does make the album sound a bit uneven.

Although Time, Unveiled isn't the best entrance into the wonderful world of Aurora Borealis, it's a truly spectacular album that is unmistakably the work of these U.S. behemoths. If you've already tracked down the band's later efforts and are okay with an album that's a bit less polished than what you may be used to from these guys, this is another mandatory purchase. Time, Unveiled is worth a big 3.5 stars and a recommendation to all fans of black/death metal!

J-Man If you like your death/black metal to be bone-crushingly heavy, technically demanding, yet still consistent in delivery and composition, Aurora Borealis is a band worth checking out sooner rather than later. This Maryland-based group really left me speechless after hearing their 2011 effort, Timeline: The Beginning and End of Everything, so (needless to say) I was pretty enthusiastic about taking a dive into their earlier releases. Relinquish, the band's fourth full-length album, was my next venture into their discography - and it certainly didn't disappoint in the slightest.

Aurora Borealis plays blackened death metal with influences from the likes of death metal bands like Morbid Angel and Deicide, black metal acts like Darkthrone, and technical death metal bands like Suffocation. One thing that has always amazed me about Aurora Borealis is their sheer technical capabilities - these guys sure as hell know how to play. Add in the fact that the band was just a duo at this point (consisting of Tony Laureano and Ron Vento), and you gain an even greater appreciation for these two musical masterminds. Ron Vento is an exceptional guitar player (as well as a great bassist and throaty vocalist) and Tony Laureano is one of the best drummers in modern metal. As a drummer myself, it's difficult to not scream "holy shit!" when you listen to some of the drum patterns on Relinquish. These guys truly are technical masters that can compete with the best in extreme metal - surely no small feat when considering the huge scope of talented musicians out there.

Although music focused so heavily on relentless technicality may often lack compositional focus, that isn't at all the case with Relinquish. The songs are all extremely memorable and simply irresistible - it would take a broken neck to keep me from headbanging like a madman during this album's duration. Speaking of which, the 36:30 playing time was really a wise choice on the band's behalf. This album never "wears out its welcome", so to speak, and instead remains powerful and consistent the entire ride through. I also have to applaud Ron Vento's tremendous production used on Relinquish. The mix is spot-on, powerful, and just insanely heavy and precise.

Though possibly a tad weaker than its successor, Relinquish is a phenomenal effort worthy of 4-4.5 stars. Seldom do I come across an album this brutal and technically demanding that still manages to incorporate memorable and captivating songwriting. That's what I call a quality band! Aurora Borealis are one of the best unknown treasures in the American extreme metal scene; this top-notch album from 2006 is just further confirmation of that. Relinquish comes highly recommended to all fans of Aurora Borealis and extreme metal in general.