Immortal Daughter of Aesthetics by Libria

Matt can attest to Metal’s affinity for Vikings and Pirates. The same heroic ideals that are rampant throughout Nordic mythology (and to a lesser degree a number of historical figures and groups renowned for their brutality) go perfectly with the epic, high energy sound common to a great many styles of metal. Immortal Daughter of Aesthetics brings a sound not entirely unfamiliar to Folk Metal and its derivatives. However, Libria’s biography describes a band born out of this borderline cliché concept of society oppressing its members with deception and brute force. Where these ideals of societal oppression are often expressed with angst and anger through metal core, Libria’s seminal offering is a mature, interesting combination of sounds and concepts. Immortal Daughter of Aesthetics paints a modern, relevant picture of a fight between society and what is true and right.

As good as Libria’s intentions might be with their choice of styles and themes, the bands creative lead Marianna Alfieri occasionally takes the experimental values of Libria to an excess with extraneous synths and sporadically disruptive interludes that don’t benefit the atmosphere of the album in any way. Fortunately these issues aren’t terribly common and most of the time that Libria takes a break from the driving guitar and rapid fire drums, the atmosphere is just as dark and desolate as the rest of the song.

With just about everything on the table, the only new thoughts that I have to share in closing are that the recording quality is disappointing. The midrange in particular is a mess and the vocals can be somewhat difficult to distinguish from the guitar, synths, and piano at any given moment. The low end can be a little bit too soft both in volume and impact and the treble is generally unremarkable. None of this should be of any concern to the listener on a conscious level, but it’s harder to enjoy Immortal Daughter of Aesthetics in its current state than if it was produced a little bit better. Libria’s debut offering isn’t the most intellectually stimulating album ever released, but it is an interesting take on a style that is typically too preoccupied with fantasy to address the present.

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