AION

"Aion" is the 5th full-length studio album by Australian/UK act Dead Can Dance. The album was released through 4AD Records in June 1990. The group still consists of Lisa Gerrard (contra alto ethnic flavoured vocals, various instruments) and Brendan Perry (Baritone vocals, various instruments). In addition to the two members of the band there are multible session musicians contributing to the album playing instruments such as violin, keyboards and bagpipes.

The music on the album features elements from many different genres like ambient, etnic, folk, medieval music and a slight goth element too. The medieval element is more pronounced on "Aion" than on any other Dead Can Dance release. The Brendan Perry led compositions "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book" and "Black Sun" are among the highlights of the album but it´s impossible not to be moved and intrigued by the tracks where B>Lisa Gerrard sings lead vocals too. Her voice and vocal skills are stunning to say the least (she´s got the most fantastic vibratto). Unfortunately too many of the tracks on "Aion" where she sings lead vocals seem a bit underdeveloped to me. Most are very short pieces which give the album a fractured feel and an uneven flow. This is not a major issue, but still an issue I need to mention.

In addition to the tracks mentioned above the instrumental "Saltarello" which is also among the stronger tracks on the album. The instrumentation on the album is a mix of organic instruments, synths and drum programming. "Aion" predominantly has an organic sound to it and the electronic elements don´t appear too often and when they do they add to the variation of the album. "Aion" features a clean, warm and pleasant sound production which suits the music perfectly. Paired with the strong musicianship and the (for the most part) intriguing compositions "Aion" overall comes out pretty strong. A better flow and more developed tracks would have made it even better though. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.