Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
When the light becomes overpowering, when the tales and myths of the age of reason become too much and threaten to bring darkness, there is always salvation to be found, a restorer of balance, a new birth in which to celebrate and take thanks in. The Chronicles of Light may have faded under the weight of the scribe’s pen but in the following year, that self same scribe has come to realise there is now in the ashes of midnight’s dusk, the Dawn of Aquarius and it is brighter, more bold and adventurous than before.
The chronicles will always be a master of precision and endurance, a healthy read in which the listener can turn to in times of uncertainty and insecurity, however for Arrayan Path the direction has turned once again and has become a conduit to a different thought, one still able to beat the socks off most in its class, still able to create a sound of exciting and soaring melody but one that reveals that age old source of consuming passion, that the darkness is always present, always ready to offer an alternative hold.
The many faces of Maha Kali Stuti, the embracing attraction of another’s religion or mantra, of looking beyond the closed down walls of your own life and seeking enlightenment or even a passing phase of interest to show that you are not stunted and reckless in your own thought; these are the ties that bind in the Dawn of Aquarius, one of shifting power and indeed one that is ambitious, musically heroic and varied throughout.
Complete with traditional folk instruments, this Heavy Metal motivation of an album sits in the same stratospheric passion as for example Iron Maiden’s Powerslave, Nicholas Leptos, Socrates Leptos, Christoforus Gavriel, Miguel Trapezaris, Stefan Dittrich, Kikis Apostolou and Huseyin Kirmizi bring a force of nature to its absolute height and respectability and make it sing, make it an act of worship.
In songs such as The Flower Born of Itself, Dark Daughter of the Snake, She Who Is Primordial Wisdom, Lotus Eyes and the album closer Garland of Skulls, this wonderful departure into an even darker realm makes the original scribe at his desk, salivate and put the pen away, for no mere human words are possible to live up to this light.
A seismic and inspiring album, the Dawn of Aquarius is actually here.
Ian D. Hall