#aeons — Public Fediverse posts

Sethianism

The Sethians were 1 of the main currents of Gnosticism during the 2nd & 3rd centuries AD. Along with Valentinianism & Basilidianism.

It was speculated to have originated in the 2nd century AD as a fusion of 2 distinct Hellenistic Judaic philosophies & was influenced by Christianity & Middle Platonism.

The Sethians (In Latin: Sethoitae) are 1st mentioned (alongside the Ophites) in the 2nd century by our boy, Irenaeus (who wasn’t Gnosticism’s friend) & in Pseudo-Tertullian texts. All later accounts appear to be largely lifted from Irenaeus. Hippolytus repeats info from Irenaeus.

According to Epiphanius of Salamis (circa 375), Sethians were found, in his time, only in Egypt & Palestine. But 50 years earlier, they had been found as far as Greater Armenia. Greater Armenia (a.k.a. the Armenian Empire) was an Armenian kingdom (in the ancient Near East) that existed from 331 BC to 428 AD, 758 years.

Philaster’s (4th century AD) Catalogue of Heresies puts the Ophites, Cainites, & Sethians as pre-Christian Jewish sects. However, since Sethians identified Seth with Christ (in the Second Logos of the Great Seth), Philaster’s belief that the Sethians had pre-Christian origins hasn’t found acceptance in later scholarship.

Sethianism claims that gnosis 1st descended upon Seth (3rd son of Adam & Eve), whose knowledge the Sethians regard as their origin.

Norea (who’s either Noah’s wife or Adam & Eve’s daughter) plays a role. As seen in Mandaeism & Manicheanism.

The Sethian cosmogonic myth (or their origin of the universe/cosmos) gives a prologue to Genesis & the rest of the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Hebrew/Christian Bible). This presents a radical re-interpretation of the Orthodox Jewish conception of creation & the divine relation to reality. Their cosmogony is most famously in the Apocryphon of John, which describes an Unknown God.

From the “Unknown God” emanate aeons. This is a series of paired female & male beings. The 1st of these is Barbelo, who is a co-actor in the following emanations.

The aeons that result are representative of the various attributes of God, which are indiscernible when they aren’t abstracted from their origin. God & the aeons comprise the sum total of the spiritual universe, known as the Pleroma. Pleroma generally refers to the totality of divine powers.

In some versions of the myth, the aeon Sophia (knowledge) imitates God’s actions, performing an emanation of her own without the prior approval of the other aeons in the Pleroma. This results in a crisis within the Pleroma, leading to the appearance of Yaldabaoth.

This figure is commonly known as the demiurge (the “artisan” or “craftsman”) after the figure in Plato’s Timaeus. Sophia, at first, hides this being. But it escapes, stealing a portion of her divine power from her in the process.

Yaldabaoth uses this stolen power to create a material world imitating the divine Pleroma. To complete this task, he spawns a group of entities known collectively as Archons, the petty rulers & craftsmen of the physical world. Like him, they’re commonly depicted as zoomorphic, having animal heads.

At this stage, the events of the Sethian story start to cohere with the Genesis story everyone knows. The demiurge & his archontic associates fulfil the role of the Creator. In Genesis, the demiurge proclaims himself to be the only god, claiming that there weren’t any other gods better than him.

The demiurge unknowingly emanates a shadow ‘image’ of Adam, while unwittingly transferring the portion of power stolen from Sophia into the 1st physical human body. He then makes Eve from Adam’s rib in an attempt to isolate & regain the power that he’s lost.

By way of this, he tries to SA Eve, who then contains Sophia’s divine power. Several texts picture him as failing when Sophia’s spirit transplants itself into the Tree of Knowledge. The pair eat from the tree of the divine epignosis, guided by Christ appearing as an “eagle” above it to guide them to remember their true “nature above.”

Most surviving Sethian texts are preserved only in Coptic translation of the Greek original. Very little direct evidence of Gnostic teaching was available before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library.

We’ve posted a few of these texts. Check them out at your leisure:

• Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit
• Second Treatise of the Great Seth
• Pistis Sophia
• Gospel of Judas
• Manichaean Psalms of Heracleides

The Gospel of Judas is the most recently discovered Gnostic text. National Geographic (Yes, that National Geographic. You know, NatGeo, y’all!) published an English translation of it. Our founder has a VERY well-worn copy of this book. It’s well-worn because they’ve read it numerous times.

This text portrays Judas Iscariot as the “13th spirit/daemon,” who “exceeded” the evil sacrifices of the “man who clothed me (Jesus).”

Its reference to Barbelo & inclusion of material similar to the Apocryphon of John & other such texts connects the text to Barbeloite &/or Sethian Gnosticism.

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Sethianism

The Sethians were 1 of the main currents of Gnosticism during the 2nd & 3rd centuries AD. Along with Valentinianism & Basilidianism.

It was speculated to have originated in the 2nd century AD as a fusion of 2 distinct Hellenistic Judaic philosophies & was influenced by Christianity & Middle Platonism.

The Sethians (In Latin: Sethoitae) are 1st mentioned (alongside the Ophites) in the 2nd century by our boy, Irenaeus (who wasn’t Gnosticism’s friend) & in Pseudo-Tertullian texts. All later accounts appear to be largely lifted from Irenaeus. Hippolytus repeats info from Irenaeus.

According to Epiphanius of Salamis (circa 375), Sethians were found, in his time, only in Egypt & Palestine. But 50 years earlier, they had been found as far as Greater Armenia. Greater Armenia (a.k.a. the Armenian Empire) was an Armenian kingdom (in the ancient Near East) that existed from 331 BC to 428 AD, 758 years.

Philaster’s (4th century AD) Catalogue of Heresies puts the Ophites, Cainites, & Sethians as pre-Christian Jewish sects. However, since Sethians identified Seth with Christ (in the Second Logos of the Great Seth), Philaster’s belief that the Sethians had pre-Christian origins hasn’t found acceptance in later scholarship.

Sethianism claims that gnosis 1st descended upon Seth (3rd son of Adam & Eve), whose knowledge the Sethians regard as their origin.

Norea (who’s either Noah’s wife or Adam & Eve’s daughter) plays a role. As seen in Mandaeism & Manicheanism.

The Sethian cosmogonic myth (or their origin of the universe/cosmos) gives a prologue to Genesis & the rest of the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Hebrew/Christian Bible). This presents a radical re-interpretation of the Orthodox Jewish conception of creation & the divine relation to reality. Their cosmogony is most famously in the Apocryphon of John, which describes an Unknown God.

From the “Unknown God” emanate aeons. This is a series of paired female & male beings. The 1st of these is Barbelo, who is a co-actor in the following emanations.

The aeons that result are representative of the various attributes of God, which are indiscernible when they aren’t abstracted from their origin. God & the aeons comprise the sum total of the spiritual universe, known as the Pleroma. Pleroma generally refers to the totality of divine powers.

In some versions of the myth, the aeon Sophia (knowledge) imitates God’s actions, performing an emanation of her own without the prior approval of the other aeons in the Pleroma. This results in a crisis within the Pleroma, leading to the appearance of Yaldabaoth.

This figure is commonly known as the demiurge (the “artisan” or “craftsman”) after the figure in Plato’s Timaeus. Sophia, at first, hides this being. But it escapes, stealing a portion of her divine power from her in the process.

Yaldabaoth uses this stolen power to create a material world imitating the divine Pleroma. To complete this task, he spawns a group of entities known collectively as Archons, the petty rulers & craftsmen of the physical world. Like him, they’re commonly depicted as zoomorphic, having animal heads.

At this stage, the events of the Sethian story start to cohere with the Genesis story everyone knows. The demiurge & his archontic associates fulfil the role of the Creator. In Genesis, the demiurge proclaims himself to be the only god, claiming that there weren’t any other gods better than him.

The demiurge unknowingly emanates a shadow ‘image’ of Adam, while unwittingly transferring the portion of power stolen from Sophia into the 1st physical human body. He then makes Eve from Adam’s rib in an attempt to isolate & regain the power that he’s lost.

By way of this, he tries to SA Eve, who then contains Sophia’s divine power. Several texts picture him as failing when Sophia’s spirit transplants itself into the Tree of Knowledge. The pair eat from the tree of the divine epignosis, guided by Christ appearing as an “eagle” above it to guide them to remember their true “nature above.”

Most surviving Sethian texts are preserved only in Coptic translation of the Greek original. Very little direct evidence of Gnostic teaching was available before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library.

We’ve posted a few of these texts. Check them out at your leisure:

• Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit
• Second Treatise of the Great Seth
• Pistis Sophia
• Gospel of Judas
• Manichaean Psalms of Heracleides

The Gospel of Judas is the most recently discovered Gnostic text. National Geographic (Yes, that National Geographic. You know, NatGeo, y’all!) published an English translation of it. Our founder has a VERY well-worn copy of this book. It’s well-worn because they’ve read it numerous times.

This text portrays Judas Iscariot as the “13th spirit/daemon,” who “exceeded” the evil sacrifices of the “man who clothed me (Jesus).”

Its reference to Barbelo & inclusion of material similar to the Apocryphon of John & other such texts connects the text to Barbeloite &/or Sethian Gnosticism.

Make a one-time donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Make a monthly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Make a yearly donation

Your contribution is appreciated.

Rate this:

"Life can exist on orders of magnitude lower power and sustain their living cells for orders of magnitude more years than previously thought possible. This means that many of these living beings bump up against the energetic limits of life, and in the process seem to have cracked the code for near-immortality. These types of intraterrestrials have such extremely long lifespans that we need a new term to describe the type of extremophiles that they are. The word aeonophiles fits, since they like (-phile) long periods of time (aeon-)."

https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life

#AeonMagazine #Aeons #Biology #Extremophiles #DeepLife

"Life can exist on orders of magnitude lower power and sustain their living cells for orders of magnitude more years than previously thought possible. This means that many of these living beings bump up against the energetic limits of life, and in the process seem to have cracked the code for near-immortality. These types of intraterrestrials have such extremely long lifespans that we need a new term to describe the type of extremophiles that they are. The word aeonophiles fits, since they like (-phile) long periods of time (aeon-)."

https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life

#AeonMagazine #Aeons #Biology #Extremophiles #DeepLife

"Life can exist on orders of magnitude lower power and sustain their living cells for orders of magnitude more years than previously thought possible. This means that many of these living beings bump up against the energetic limits of life, and in the process seem to have cracked the code for near-immortality. These types of intraterrestrials have such extremely long lifespans that we need a new term to describe the type of extremophiles that they are. The word aeonophiles fits, since they like (-phile) long periods of time (aeon-)."

https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life

#AeonMagazine #Aeons #Biology #Extremophiles #DeepLife

"Life can exist on orders of magnitude lower power and sustain their living cells for orders of magnitude more years than previously thought possible. This means that many of these living beings bump up against the energetic limits of life, and in the process seem to have cracked the code for near-immortality. These types of intraterrestrials have such extremely long lifespans that we need a new term to describe the type of extremophiles that they are. The word aeonophiles fits, since they like (-phile) long periods of time (aeon-)."

https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life

#AeonMagazine #Aeons #Biology #Extremophiles #DeepLife

"Life can exist on orders of magnitude lower power and sustain their living cells for orders of magnitude more years than previously thought possible. This means that many of these living beings bump up against the energetic limits of life, and in the process seem to have cracked the code for near-immortality. These types of intraterrestrials have such extremely long lifespans that we need a new term to describe the type of extremophiles that they are. The word aeonophiles fits, since they like (-phile) long periods of time (aeon-)."

https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life

#AeonMagazine #Aeons #Biology #Extremophiles #DeepLife

#gnostic #gnosticteachings #gnosticchristians #naghammadi #apocrypha #apocryphaltexts #noncanon #archons #yaldabaoth #aeons #sophia #pleroma #monad #sabaoth #anunnaki #jesus #realjesus #gospelofmarymagdalene #gospelofphilip #gospelofthomas #mysteries #ancientmysteries #ancienthistory #earlychristianity #jesuschrist
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https://youtu.be/XYdCkFzmQD0?si=ScP_cIqpPcrMIjga

#gnostic #gnosticteachings #gnosticchristians #naghammadi #apocrypha #apocryphaltexts #noncanon #archons #yaldabaoth #aeons #sophia #pleroma #monad #sabaoth #anunnaki #jesus #realjesus #gospelofmarymagdalene #gospelofphilip #gospelofthomas #mysteries #ancientmysteries #ancienthistory #earlychristianity #jesuschrist
https://youtu.be/XYdCkFzmQD0?si=ScP_cIqpPcrMIjga

#gnostic #gnosticteachings #gnosticchristians #naghammadi #apocrypha #apocryphaltexts #noncanon #archons #yaldabaoth #aeons #sophia #pleroma #monad #sabaoth #anunnaki #jesus #realjesus #gospelofmarymagdalene #gospelofphilip #gospelofthomas #mysteries #ancientmysteries #ancienthistory #earlychristianity #jesuschrist
https://youtu.be/XYdCkFzmQD0?si=ScP_cIqpPcrMIjga

AEONS (Man (illa de)) presenta nou EP: "6EQUJ5" #Aeons #ProgressiveMetal #Metalcore #Novembre2025 #Man(illaDe) #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

AEONS (Man (illa de)) presenta nou EP: "6EQUJ5" #Aeons #ProgressiveMetal #Metalcore #Novembre2025 #Man(illaDe) #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

AEONS (Man (illa de)) presenta nou EP: "6EQUJ5" #Aeons #ProgressiveMetal #Metalcore #Novembre2025 #Man(illaDe) #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

AEONS (Man (illa de)) presenta nou EP: "6EQUJ5" #Aeons #ProgressiveMetal #Metalcore #Novembre2025 #Man(illaDe) #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

AEONS (Man (illa de)) presenta nou EP: "6EQUJ5" #Aeons #ProgressiveMetal #Metalcore #Novembre2025 #Man(illaDe) #NouEp #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #3.0 #Aeons #AlternativeMetal #AU #Australia #BattleBeast #ElectronicMetal #Electronicore #Elyose #Entertainment #EspritD'Air #J-Rock #JapaneseMetal #Nov25 #Periphery #review #reviews #StarstormRecords #TheSistersofMercy #TranceMetal #XJapan
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/281102/

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds…
#NewsBeep #News #Music #2025 #3.0 #Aeons #AlternativeMetal #BattleBeast #ElectronicMetal #electronicore #Elyose #Entertainment #EspritD'Air #J-Rock #JapaneseMetal #Nov25 #Periphery #review #Reviews #StarstormRecords #TheSistersofMercy #TranceMetal #UK #UnitedKingdom #XJapan
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/259616/

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds a Casio keyboard in their cellar’ sense,1 but a genuine fusion of the two with synthesizers on the forefront. Esprit D’Air is one of the more recent bands making waves with their take on this mix. A Japanese band formed in London in 2010 and spearheaded by Kai (The Sisters of Mercy—yes, that one), they’ve quickly formed their identity around a catchy blend of alternative metal, J-rock, and trance, among other stranger things. One break-up and reformation later, debut album Constellations finally appeared in 2017, followed by 2022’s Oceans and 2024’s Seasons.2 Fourth full-length Aeons is looking to delve deeper into Esprit D’Air’s niche, attempting a more varied package without any of their usual guest features help. How do they handle this melting pot of genres alone?

Aeons is here to have fun, first and foremost. While the resurrected post-2016 incarnation of Esprit D’Air is technically a solo project—Kai being the only ‘official’ full-time member—they do function as a band in practice. Frontman Kai and partner-in-crime Takeshi Tokunaga are behind most of the album’s writing and instrumentation, with Jan-Vincent Velazco handling the drum department. It’s difficult to pin down simple comparison points to Esprit D’Air’s genre soup shenanigans, but the majority of Aeons is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality, the likes of X Japan (“Like a Phoenix”). Occasionally, their sound even leans towards the AOR, power-ish metal soar of newer Battle Beast (“Shadow of Time,” “Silver Leaf”). The guitar work usually resides next to or behind the keyboards, but it does a fine job adding extra heaviness to the album, and the instrumentation in general is tight and snappy. Kai’s vocal chops also play a major role on the record, further decorating strong choruses with melodic, J-rock-inspired vocal lines (“Chronos,” “羽ばたけ”).

Esprit D’Air has a penchant for strong hooks, especially on keyboards. Tracks like “Silver Leaf” and “Like a Phoenix” highlight the album’s greatest strengths, fusing together J-rock with extremely catchy synth patches that borrow from both techno and trance. Crucially, its multifaceted arsenal of keyboard and guitar styles makes the songs distinct from one another. Though the guitars could be more prominent, their relatively simplistic rhythmic role is complemented by powerful leads and intricate solo work when needed. The band’s attitude on instrumentation and songwriting is at times reminiscent of the way Elyose fuses early 2000s electronic and metal influences together, occasionally drifting towards their modern djentier alt-metal sound (“Chronos,” Lost Horizon”) or even the melodic downtuned attack of Periphery (“Quetzalcoatl”). Through their spectrum of styles, Aeons fulfills the band’s threat to feature more variety in a sleeker form.

The variety of Aeons, while intriguing, is a double-edged sword. There’s a particular spot around tracks 8–10 where the album’s alternative edge morphs into an edgier, nu-informed sound, both instrumentally and vocally (“Broken Mirror,” “絶望の光”). Despite Esprit D’Air kind of pulling it off, it doesn’t fit the album’s mood, especially not with all of it centered on one region. Half-ballad “Stardust” also quiets the album’s thunder somewhat, its bright but melancholic soundscape causing Kai to overstep his optimal vocal range. Fortunately, the majority of Aeons is memorable and at times even infectious. Its brevity softens its missteps; where Oceans landed at almost an hour, Aeons does more in nearly half the amount of time. This slick 35-minute runtime means its speed bumps aren’t fatal, but the middle of the album does still sag in comparison to the powerful start and finish.

Aeons ends up being an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness. Its catchy rock/metal attack blends together everything ’00s, and the electronic influences are particularly satisfying. The record’s inconsistency does leave something to be desired, and its sonical direction is unfocused at points, but the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles. When I picked up the promo for Aeons, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what to expect. Now, it’s apparent Esprit D’Air have made an album that amounts to more than its components imply. I reckon their appeal can reach beyond their cited genre tags, and there’s plenty of room to further expand on their best qualities in the future.

Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Starstorm Records (self-run)
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #aeons #alternativeMetal #battleBeast #electronicMetal #electronicore #elyose #espritDair #jRock #japaneseMetal #nov25 #periphery #review #reviews #starstormRecords #theSistersOfMercy #tranceMetal #xJapan

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds a Casio keyboard in their cellar’ sense,1 but a genuine fusion of the two with synthesizers on the forefront. Esprit D’Air is one of the more recent bands making waves with their take on this mix. A Japanese band formed in London in 2010 and spearheaded by Kai (The Sisters of Mercy—yes, that one), they’ve quickly formed their identity around a catchy blend of alternative metal, J-rock, and trance, among other stranger things. One break-up and reformation later, debut album Constellations finally appeared in 2017, followed by 2022’s Oceans and 2024’s Seasons.2 Fourth full-length Aeons is looking to delve deeper into Esprit D’Air’s niche, attempting a more varied package without any of their usual guest features help. How do they handle this melting pot of genres alone?

Aeons is here to have fun, first and foremost. While the resurrected post-2016 incarnation of Esprit D’Air is technically a solo project—Kai being the only ‘official’ full-time member—they do function as a band in practice. Frontman Kai and partner-in-crime Takeshi Tokunaga are behind most of the album’s writing and instrumentation, with Jan-Vincent Velazco handling the drum department. It’s difficult to pin down simple comparison points to Esprit D’Air’s genre soup shenanigans, but the majority of Aeons is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality, the likes of X Japan (“Like a Phoenix”). Occasionally, their sound even leans towards the AOR, power-ish metal soar of newer Battle Beast (“Shadow of Time,” “Silver Leaf”). The guitar work usually resides next to or behind the keyboards, but it does a fine job adding extra heaviness to the album, and the instrumentation in general is tight and snappy. Kai’s vocal chops also play a major role on the record, further decorating strong choruses with melodic, J-rock-inspired vocal lines (“Chronos,” “羽ばたけ”).

Esprit D’Air has a penchant for strong hooks, especially on keyboards. Tracks like “Silver Leaf” and “Like a Phoenix” highlight the album’s greatest strengths, fusing together J-rock with extremely catchy synth patches that borrow from both techno and trance. Crucially, its multifaceted arsenal of keyboard and guitar styles makes the songs distinct from one another. Though the guitars could be more prominent, their relatively simplistic rhythmic role is complemented by powerful leads and intricate solo work when needed. The band’s attitude on instrumentation and songwriting is at times reminiscent of the way Elyose fuses early 2000s electronic and metal influences together, occasionally drifting towards their modern djentier alt-metal sound (“Chronos,” Lost Horizon”) or even the melodic downtuned attack of Periphery (“Quetzalcoatl”). Through their spectrum of styles, Aeons fulfills the band’s threat to feature more variety in a sleeker form.

The variety of Aeons, while intriguing, is a double-edged sword. There’s a particular spot around tracks 8–10 where the album’s alternative edge morphs into an edgier, nu-informed sound, both instrumentally and vocally (“Broken Mirror,” “絶望の光”). Despite Esprit D’Air kind of pulling it off, it doesn’t fit the album’s mood, especially not with all of it centered on one region. Half-ballad “Stardust” also quiets the album’s thunder somewhat, its bright but melancholic soundscape causing Kai to overstep his optimal vocal range. Fortunately, the majority of Aeons is memorable and at times even infectious. Its brevity softens its missteps; where Oceans landed at almost an hour, Aeons does more in nearly half the amount of time. This slick 35-minute runtime means its speed bumps aren’t fatal, but the middle of the album does still sag in comparison to the powerful start and finish.

Aeons ends up being an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness. Its catchy rock/metal attack blends together everything ’00s, and the electronic influences are particularly satisfying. The record’s inconsistency does leave something to be desired, and its sonical direction is unfocused at points, but the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles. When I picked up the promo for Aeons, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what to expect. Now, it’s apparent Esprit D’Air have made an album that amounts to more than its components imply. I reckon their appeal can reach beyond their cited genre tags, and there’s plenty of room to further expand on their best qualities in the future.

Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Starstorm Records (self-run)
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #aeons #alternativeMetal #battleBeast #electronicMetal #electronicore #elyose #espritDair #jRock #japaneseMetal #nov25 #periphery #review #reviews #starstormRecords #theSistersOfMercy #tranceMetal #xJapan

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds a Casio keyboard in their cellar’ sense,1 but a genuine fusion of the two with synthesizers on the forefront. Esprit D’Air is one of the more recent bands making waves with their take on this mix. A Japanese band formed in London in 2010 and spearheaded by Kai (The Sisters of Mercy—yes, that one), they’ve quickly formed their identity around a catchy blend of alternative metal, J-rock, and trance, among other stranger things. One break-up and reformation later, debut album Constellations finally appeared in 2017, followed by 2022’s Oceans and 2024’s Seasons.2 Fourth full-length Aeons is looking to delve deeper into Esprit D’Air’s niche, attempting a more varied package without any of their usual guest features help. How do they handle this melting pot of genres alone?

Aeons is here to have fun, first and foremost. While the resurrected post-2016 incarnation of Esprit D’Air is technically a solo project—Kai being the only ‘official’ full-time member—they do function as a band in practice. Frontman Kai and partner-in-crime Takeshi Tokunaga are behind most of the album’s writing and instrumentation, with Jan-Vincent Velazco handling the drum department. It’s difficult to pin down simple comparison points to Esprit D’Air’s genre soup shenanigans, but the majority of Aeons is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality, the likes of X Japan (“Like a Phoenix”). Occasionally, their sound even leans towards the AOR, power-ish metal soar of newer Battle Beast (“Shadow of Time,” “Silver Leaf”). The guitar work usually resides next to or behind the keyboards, but it does a fine job adding extra heaviness to the album, and the instrumentation in general is tight and snappy. Kai’s vocal chops also play a major role on the record, further decorating strong choruses with melodic, J-rock-inspired vocal lines (“Chronos,” “羽ばたけ”).

Esprit D’Air has a penchant for strong hooks, especially on keyboards. Tracks like “Silver Leaf” and “Like a Phoenix” highlight the album’s greatest strengths, fusing together J-rock with extremely catchy synth patches that borrow from both techno and trance. Crucially, its multifaceted arsenal of keyboard and guitar styles makes the songs distinct from one another. Though the guitars could be more prominent, their relatively simplistic rhythmic role is complemented by powerful leads and intricate solo work when needed. The band’s attitude on instrumentation and songwriting is at times reminiscent of the way Elyose fuses early 2000s electronic and metal influences together, occasionally drifting towards their modern djentier alt-metal sound (“Chronos,” Lost Horizon”) or even the melodic downtuned attack of Periphery (“Quetzalcoatl”). Through their spectrum of styles, Aeons fulfills the band’s threat to feature more variety in a sleeker form.

The variety of Aeons, while intriguing, is a double-edged sword. There’s a particular spot around tracks 8–10 where the album’s alternative edge morphs into an edgier, nu-informed sound, both instrumentally and vocally (“Broken Mirror,” “絶望の光”). Despite Esprit D’Air kind of pulling it off, it doesn’t fit the album’s mood, especially not with all of it centered on one region. Half-ballad “Stardust” also quiets the album’s thunder somewhat, its bright but melancholic soundscape causing Kai to overstep his optimal vocal range. Fortunately, the majority of Aeons is memorable and at times even infectious. Its brevity softens its missteps; where Oceans landed at almost an hour, Aeons does more in nearly half the amount of time. This slick 35-minute runtime means its speed bumps aren’t fatal, but the middle of the album does still sag in comparison to the powerful start and finish.

Aeons ends up being an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness. Its catchy rock/metal attack blends together everything ’00s, and the electronic influences are particularly satisfying. The record’s inconsistency does leave something to be desired, and its sonical direction is unfocused at points, but the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles. When I picked up the promo for Aeons, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what to expect. Now, it’s apparent Esprit D’Air have made an album that amounts to more than its components imply. I reckon their appeal can reach beyond their cited genre tags, and there’s plenty of room to further expand on their best qualities in the future.

Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Starstorm Records (self-run)
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #aeons #alternativeMetal #battleBeast #electronicMetal #electronicore #elyose #espritDair #jRock #japaneseMetal #nov25 #periphery #review #reviews #starstormRecords #theSistersOfMercy #tranceMetal #xJapan

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds a Casio keyboard in their cellar’ sense,1 but a genuine fusion of the two with synthesizers on the forefront. Esprit D’Air is one of the more recent bands making waves with their take on this mix. A Japanese band formed in London in 2010 and spearheaded by Kai (The Sisters of Mercy—yes, that one), they’ve quickly formed their identity around a catchy blend of alternative metal, J-rock, and trance, among other stranger things. One break-up and reformation later, debut album Constellations finally appeared in 2017, followed by 2022’s Oceans and 2024’s Seasons.2 Fourth full-length Aeons is looking to delve deeper into Esprit D’Air’s niche, attempting a more varied package without any of their usual guest features help. How do they handle this melting pot of genres alone?

Aeons is here to have fun, first and foremost. While the resurrected post-2016 incarnation of Esprit D’Air is technically a solo project—Kai being the only ‘official’ full-time member—they do function as a band in practice. Frontman Kai and partner-in-crime Takeshi Tokunaga are behind most of the album’s writing and instrumentation, with Jan-Vincent Velazco handling the drum department. It’s difficult to pin down simple comparison points to Esprit D’Air’s genre soup shenanigans, but the majority of Aeons is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality, the likes of X Japan (“Like a Phoenix”). Occasionally, their sound even leans towards the AOR, power-ish metal soar of newer Battle Beast (“Shadow of Time,” “Silver Leaf”). The guitar work usually resides next to or behind the keyboards, but it does a fine job adding extra heaviness to the album, and the instrumentation in general is tight and snappy. Kai’s vocal chops also play a major role on the record, further decorating strong choruses with melodic, J-rock-inspired vocal lines (“Chronos,” “羽ばたけ”).

Esprit D’Air has a penchant for strong hooks, especially on keyboards. Tracks like “Silver Leaf” and “Like a Phoenix” highlight the album’s greatest strengths, fusing together J-rock with extremely catchy synth patches that borrow from both techno and trance. Crucially, its multifaceted arsenal of keyboard and guitar styles makes the songs distinct from one another. Though the guitars could be more prominent, their relatively simplistic rhythmic role is complemented by powerful leads and intricate solo work when needed. The band’s attitude on instrumentation and songwriting is at times reminiscent of the way Elyose fuses early 2000s electronic and metal influences together, occasionally drifting towards their modern djentier alt-metal sound (“Chronos,” Lost Horizon”) or even the melodic downtuned attack of Periphery (“Quetzalcoatl”). Through their spectrum of styles, Aeons fulfills the band’s threat to feature more variety in a sleeker form.

The variety of Aeons, while intriguing, is a double-edged sword. There’s a particular spot around tracks 8–10 where the album’s alternative edge morphs into an edgier, nu-informed sound, both instrumentally and vocally (“Broken Mirror,” “絶望の光”). Despite Esprit D’Air kind of pulling it off, it doesn’t fit the album’s mood, especially not with all of it centered on one region. Half-ballad “Stardust” also quiets the album’s thunder somewhat, its bright but melancholic soundscape causing Kai to overstep his optimal vocal range. Fortunately, the majority of Aeons is memorable and at times even infectious. Its brevity softens its missteps; where Oceans landed at almost an hour, Aeons does more in nearly half the amount of time. This slick 35-minute runtime means its speed bumps aren’t fatal, but the middle of the album does still sag in comparison to the powerful start and finish.

Aeons ends up being an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness. Its catchy rock/metal attack blends together everything ’00s, and the electronic influences are particularly satisfying. The record’s inconsistency does leave something to be desired, and its sonical direction is unfocused at points, but the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles. When I picked up the promo for Aeons, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what to expect. Now, it’s apparent Esprit D’Air have made an album that amounts to more than its components imply. I reckon their appeal can reach beyond their cited genre tags, and there’s plenty of room to further expand on their best qualities in the future.

Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Starstorm Records (self-run)
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #aeons #alternativeMetal #battleBeast #electronicMetal #electronicore #elyose #espritDair #jRock #japaneseMetal #nov25 #periphery #review #reviews #starstormRecords #theSistersOfMercy #tranceMetal #xJapan

Esprit D’Air – Aeons Review

By Baguette of Bodom

Electronic music and metal joining forces is often treated with suspicion. Not electronic in the ‘band member finds a Casio keyboard in their cellar’ sense,1 but a genuine fusion of the two with synthesizers on the forefront. Esprit D’Air is one of the more recent bands making waves with their take on this mix. A Japanese band formed in London in 2010 and spearheaded by Kai (The Sisters of Mercy—yes, that one), they’ve quickly formed their identity around a catchy blend of alternative metal, J-rock, and trance, among other stranger things. One break-up and reformation later, debut album Constellations finally appeared in 2017, followed by 2022’s Oceans and 2024’s Seasons.2 Fourth full-length Aeons is looking to delve deeper into Esprit D’Air’s niche, attempting a more varied package without any of their usual guest features help. How do they handle this melting pot of genres alone?

Aeons is here to have fun, first and foremost. While the resurrected post-2016 incarnation of Esprit D’Air is technically a solo project—Kai being the only ‘official’ full-time member—they do function as a band in practice. Frontman Kai and partner-in-crime Takeshi Tokunaga are behind most of the album’s writing and instrumentation, with Jan-Vincent Velazco handling the drum department. It’s difficult to pin down simple comparison points to Esprit D’Air’s genre soup shenanigans, but the majority of Aeons is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality, the likes of X Japan (“Like a Phoenix”). Occasionally, their sound even leans towards the AOR, power-ish metal soar of newer Battle Beast (“Shadow of Time,” “Silver Leaf”). The guitar work usually resides next to or behind the keyboards, but it does a fine job adding extra heaviness to the album, and the instrumentation in general is tight and snappy. Kai’s vocal chops also play a major role on the record, further decorating strong choruses with melodic, J-rock-inspired vocal lines (“Chronos,” “羽ばたけ”).

Esprit D’Air has a penchant for strong hooks, especially on keyboards. Tracks like “Silver Leaf” and “Like a Phoenix” highlight the album’s greatest strengths, fusing together J-rock with extremely catchy synth patches that borrow from both techno and trance. Crucially, its multifaceted arsenal of keyboard and guitar styles makes the songs distinct from one another. Though the guitars could be more prominent, their relatively simplistic rhythmic role is complemented by powerful leads and intricate solo work when needed. The band’s attitude on instrumentation and songwriting is at times reminiscent of the way Elyose fuses early 2000s electronic and metal influences together, occasionally drifting towards their modern djentier alt-metal sound (“Chronos,” Lost Horizon”) or even the melodic downtuned attack of Periphery (“Quetzalcoatl”). Through their spectrum of styles, Aeons fulfills the band’s threat to feature more variety in a sleeker form.

The variety of Aeons, while intriguing, is a double-edged sword. There’s a particular spot around tracks 8–10 where the album’s alternative edge morphs into an edgier, nu-informed sound, both instrumentally and vocally (“Broken Mirror,” “絶望の光”). Despite Esprit D’Air kind of pulling it off, it doesn’t fit the album’s mood, especially not with all of it centered on one region. Half-ballad “Stardust” also quiets the album’s thunder somewhat, its bright but melancholic soundscape causing Kai to overstep his optimal vocal range. Fortunately, the majority of Aeons is memorable and at times even infectious. Its brevity softens its missteps; where Oceans landed at almost an hour, Aeons does more in nearly half the amount of time. This slick 35-minute runtime means its speed bumps aren’t fatal, but the middle of the album does still sag in comparison to the powerful start and finish.

Aeons ends up being an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness. Its catchy rock/metal attack blends together everything ’00s, and the electronic influences are particularly satisfying. The record’s inconsistency does leave something to be desired, and its sonical direction is unfocused at points, but the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles. When I picked up the promo for Aeons, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what to expect. Now, it’s apparent Esprit D’Air have made an album that amounts to more than its components imply. I reckon their appeal can reach beyond their cited genre tags, and there’s plenty of room to further expand on their best qualities in the future.

Rating: Good!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: FLAC
Label: Starstorm Records (self-run)
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #aeons #alternativeMetal #battleBeast #electronicMetal #electronicore #elyose #espritDair #jRock #japaneseMetal #nov25 #periphery #review #reviews #starstormRecords #theSistersOfMercy #tranceMetal #xJapan

You know who that #Aeons album reminds me of? #Disillusion!

You know who that #Aeons album reminds me of? #Disillusion!

#BandCamp purchases:

#Earthside
https://earthside.bandcamp.com/track/frozen-heart-burning-world

#Aeons
https://sliptrickrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aeons-the-ghosts-of-what-we-knew

#JacobRoberge
https://jacobroberge.bandcamp.com/album/the-passing-2

#BandCamp purchases:

#Earthside
https://earthside.bandcamp.com/track/frozen-heart-burning-world

#Aeons
https://sliptrickrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aeons-the-ghosts-of-what-we-knew

#JacobRoberge
https://jacobroberge.bandcamp.com/album/the-passing-2

Aujourd'hui sur Blog à part –

Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

Il arrive que des albums qui ont tout pour me plaire me laissent quelque peu perplexe. C’est un peu le cas de ce The Ghosts of What We Knew, de Aeons.

#Aeons #GrandeBretagne #metalProgressif

https://wp.me/ppneF-b4p

Aujourd'hui sur Blog à part – Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

Il arrive que des albums qui ont tout pour me plaire me laissent quelque peu perplexe. C’est un peu le cas de ce The Ghosts of What We Knew, de Aeons.

#Aeons #GrandeBretagne #MetalProgressif

https://erdorin.org/aeons-the-ghosts-of-what-we-knew/

Aujourd'hui sur Blog à part – Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

Il arrive que des albums qui ont tout pour me plaire me laissent quelque peu perplexe. C’est un peu le cas de ce The Ghosts of What We Knew, de Aeons.

#Aeons #GrandeBretagne #MetalProgressif

https://erdorin.org/aeons-the-ghosts-of-what-we-knew/

Aeons present a stunning new video for the track ‘Home’

It's almost six months to the day since Aeons released their incredible third album, The Ghosts Of What We Knew, through Sliptrick Records. The critical acclaim that has been laid at the feet of that album has been incredible, with glowing reviews landing from around the world.

However, a band as creative as A

https://www.moshville.co.uk/video/2025/01/aeons-present-a-stunning-new-video-for-the-track-home/

#Videos #Aeons

Aeons present a stunning new video for the track ‘Home’

It's almost six months to the day since Aeons released their incredible third album, The Ghosts Of What We Knew, through Sliptrick Records. The critical acclaim that has been laid at the feet of that album has been incredible, with glowing reviews landing from around the world.

However, a band as creative as A

https://www.moshville.co.uk/video/2025/01/aeons-present-a-stunning-new-video-for-the-track-home/

#Videos #Aeons

Aeons present a stunning new video for the track ‘Home’

It's almost six months to the day since Aeons released their incredible third album, The Ghosts Of What We Knew, through Sliptrick Records. The critical acclaim that has been laid at the feet of that album has been incredible, with glowing reviews landing from around the world.

However, a band as creative as A

https://www.moshville.co.uk/video/2025/01/aeons-present-a-stunning-new-video-for-the-track-home/

#Videos #Aeons

Aeons present a stunning new video for the track ‘Home’

It's almost six months to the day since Aeons released their incredible third album, The Ghosts Of What We Knew, through Sliptrick Records. The critical acclaim that has been laid at the feet of that album has been incredible, with glowing reviews landing from around the world.

However, a band as creative as A

https://www.moshville.co.uk/video/2025/01/aeons-present-a-stunning-new-video-for-the-track-home/

#Videos #Aeons

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

2. #Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

https://album.link/cwp9vjfsjcmsb

#ProgressiveMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal

FFO #Dysrhythmia #Nospūn #ParasiticEntity

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

2. #Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

https://album.link/cwp9vjfsjcmsb

#ProgressiveMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal

FFO #Dysrhythmia #Nospūn #ParasiticEntity

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

2. #Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

https://album.link/cwp9vjfsjcmsb

#ProgressiveMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal

FFO #Dysrhythmia #Nospūn #ParasiticEntity

For @DXMacGuffin's #ProgTuesday:

2. #Aeons: The Ghosts of What We Knew

https://album.link/cwp9vjfsjcmsb

#ProgressiveMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal

FFO #Dysrhythmia #Nospūn #ParasiticEntity

Made #aeons ago
now sleeping under the #Ground
horrible secrets.

#vss365 #haiku #poetry #writing #WritingCommunity

Made #aeons ago
now sleeping under the #Ground
horrible secrets.

#vss365 #haiku #poetry #writing #WritingCommunity

Today's poem:
Road Trip, by Kurt Brown

https://at.tumblr.com/ukdamo/road-trip/esqsxfeodgqg

#RoadTrip #poetry #KurtBrown #travel #landscape #anthropocene #change #relationship #earth #gaia #chronology #aeons

#RogerPenrose - "#Consciousness must be beyond #computable #physics."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfouEFuB-co&ab_channel=NewScientist

#Science #Cosmology #PhilosophyOfCosmology #BigBang #TheBigBang #CyclicCosmology #ConformalCyclicCosmology #BlackHole #BlackHoles #Quasar #Quasars #Aeon #Aeons #Nobel #NobelPrize #NobelPrizeForPhysics #SETI #NewScientist

#RogerPenrose - "#Consciousness must be beyond #computable #physics."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfouEFuB-co&ab_channel=NewScientist

#Science #Cosmology #PhilosophyOfCosmology #BigBang #TheBigBang #CyclicCosmology #ConformalCyclicCosmology #BlackHole #BlackHoles #Quasar #Quasars #Aeon #Aeons #Nobel #NobelPrize #NobelPrizeForPhysics #SETI #NewScientist

#RogerPenrose - "#Consciousness must be beyond #computable #physics."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfouEFuB-co&ab_channel=NewScientist

#Science #Cosmology #PhilosophyOfCosmology #BigBang #TheBigBang #CyclicCosmology #ConformalCyclicCosmology #BlackHole #BlackHoles #Quasar #Quasars #Aeon #Aeons #Nobel #NobelPrize #NobelPrizeForPhysics #SETI #NewScientist

Tune in to ERBThursday 7pm for some great music, including #Aeons, who I discovered here via @SimoRavens19 Thanks Simon, great find! Featured artists:
#ShapeOfWater
#JordanRed
#Hausers
#Aeons
#Burridge
#KittenPyramid
#HongFaux
#Headcage
#Dissonance
#HyperdriveStereo
#NoveauArcade
#LessThanHollow
#Battlejuice

Tune in to ERBThursday 7pm for some great music, including #Aeons, who I discovered here via @SimoRavens19 Thanks Simon, great find! Featured artists:
#ShapeOfWater
#JordanRed
#Hausers
#Aeons
#Burridge
#KittenPyramid
#HongFaux
#Headcage
#Dissonance
#HyperdriveStereo
#NoveauArcade
#LessThanHollow
#Battlejuice