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

In a day like today:

Artist: X Japan
Title: Tears
Genre: Hard Rock, Symphonic Rock
Format: Mini-CD single Stereo released in November 10, 1993. Under Atlantic Records, Japan.

#Japan #JapaneseRock #HardRock #JapaneseMusic #1990s #XJapan #MusicRelease

In a day like today:

Artist: X Japan
Title: Tears
Genre: Hard Rock, Symphonic Rock
Format: Mini-CD single Stereo released in November 10, 1993. Under Atlantic Records, Japan.

#Japan #JapaneseRock #HardRock #JapaneseMusic #1990s #XJapan #MusicRelease
【松浦勝人】XY脱退、独立、活動終了の真相についてお話しします…【YOSHIKI X Japan プロデュース 契約終了 avex 会長 松浦会長 切り抜き】 https://www.yayafa.com/2575209/ #avex #maxmatsuura #MAX松浦 #XJAPAN #XJAPAN #YOSHIKI #ヨシキ #会長 #切り抜き #松浦会長 #松浦勝人
(499) 【 #高市早苗 】高市さん #XJAPAN の『 #Rusty Nail』を歌う姿がかっこいい!!! - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ilVEGFlPf8
【高市早苗】高市さんXJAPANの『Rusty Nail』を歌う姿がかっこいい!!!

YouTube
https://www.wacoca.com/media/464622/ 大豊作だった夏アニメを総括!生粋アニオタ・田口尚平が絶賛する「珠玉の作品」 【アニメ最強番付2025・大関編】 – ふねぽ #television #tv #TVPrograms #XJAPAN #テレビ #テレビ番組 #堀江瞬 #小野大輔

Buenos días, tardes o noches, para quien lea esto!!!  

Por favor, si alguien es fan de X Japan, necesito escuchar más canciones del grupo que no sea Kurenai (que la tengo en bucle y me gusta, pero por escuchar más variedad x) )

#jpop #jpopmusic #xjapan