France’s Aeon Patronist have a lot going on for them right off the bat here, including that cool band name and great cover art for this four-song (plus intro) EP, which follows up 2014 debut full-length Through The Paths Of Delusion. That intro is actually pretty cool, providing a creepy few seconds of ambience before first cut “Katadesmos” drops and the band immediately shows their skills with death-tinged black metal, the production crisp and clean so everything can shine through, including the melodic guitar work and what sounds like fretless bass action. Good opener, and while the band offers little to separate themselves from the crowd on this song, it's a problem that dissipates soon enough. 

The intro to “Seeds From A Burning Land” is great and doesn’t necessarily make me immediately think of anyone else, which is a step in the right direction; the song’s explorations into both sludgey, death-infused black and blasting second-wave BM are both successful, Aeon Patronist finding a bit of a place to call their own here. “L’ineffable” has manic guitar work and very successful slower parts, although the sudden left turn back to speed at 5:54 doesn’t have much in the way of subtlety. “Through The Paths Of Delusion” closes the EP off with some excellent, jittery, sludgey guitar work. There’s lots to enjoy here, and Aeon Patronist do have personality once you start to dive into these enjoyable songs.