The spotlight certainly has been on Aeon Zen over recent months. With their last album Enigma garnering solid reviews, and a support slot with Queensrÿche for some of their recent UK dates, their profile is on the rise.
They also appear to be an increasingly stable unit, with Self Portrait being performed by a four-piece and excluding the glut of guest musicians which have somewhat blurred their previous releases. This EP is a stop gap between full length recordings, but it’s still a timely reminder of their talent.
The four tracks collected here are also re-workings of songs from their 2009 A Mind’s Portrait and if that might imply like this is a ghastly collection of remixes, it’s not. The tracks selected have been so well deconstructed that they have the air of fresh material. Thankfully, these still possess the ambitious, progressive metal edge for which Aeon Zen have become known.
Portrait adds an almost psychedelic backdrop into the mix, Rain has bombastic edging, and Demise is a match for contemporary Queensrÿche. The band are offering this as a free/pay what you want release via their website, which makes this an even more tempting morsel.
