God Is An Astronaut were at their peak around five or six years ago, the last mind-blowing record I remember was their fifth, self-titled album. Far From Refuge, which followed it, started to show a drought of ideas, a lack of inspiration, leading to a solid record, but far from their earlier works. For their 2013’s album, Origins, they really went on a rehash bonanza. Origins was an incredibly dull piece of music, which lasted for around half a dozen of listens, and is now the last choice every time a need for God Is An Astronaut rises again. Last year’s Helios/Erebus somehow flew under the radar, and although the record got released a year ago, I found out about its existence during this hot and humid summer.
Helios was a personification of the Sun in Greek mythology, whereas Erebus was a complete opposite, a primordial deity, direct offspring of Chaos, the ultimate personification of darkness and eternal night. Since the title represents a clash of light and darkness, the expectations were high, and ultimately lead to disappointment.
The album starts with an excellent Agneya, a wild, untamed, darkly piece of music, fooling you into thinking Helios\Erebus will be a magnificent comeback, spiced with new elements and different orchestrations. Well, after you hear Pig Powder, filled with same old melodies and a hundred times rehashed, good ol’ structure, your hopes will sink into the depths of Erebus. The title song lacks depth, and that complex yet easy to listen to structure featured on many songs from the first couple of albums, but it ends up being relatively enjoyable.
And although there are a couple of hits (like Vetus Memoria and already mentioned Agneya), most of the album consist out of rehashed songs you’ve heard numerous times on previous records. Dreamy melodies, atmo keyboards, shining Helios atmosphere, and a regular post-rock build up. There’s just not enough new elements compelling enough to make Helios\Erebus stick, to make it stay in your memory, to make you come back to it. At best, the album will make you yearn for old records when God Is An Astronaut shone brightest.
It’s a shame that the band somehow stopped their evolution; don’t get me wrong, if an album is done right, old ideas can sound excellent, but this is not the case with Helios\Erebus. Instead recycling the old material along with some newly crafted materials, the band went the easy way, crafting a couple of witty, exciting compositions while filling the blanks with the same old, same old. Okay for a couple of listens, Helios\Erebus fails on the test of repeated listens. It’s just not even close to the heights of All Is Violent, All Is Bright or The End Of The Beginning. Post-rock fans, find another candy since this one tastes pretty bland.
