Time, Unveiled (Nightsky Productions~2002)
Named for the astronomical phenomenon commonly known as the Northern Lights, this duo delivers a release that´s capable of lighting up the stereos, and ears, of many metal fans. I´ve heard this band called an American black metal outfit, and even though the vocals are of the black metal variety, the music also includes elements of thrash and death metal. I love the overall feel and sound of this album, but the guitars clearly steal the show. With great riffs and occasionally even great solos, the guitar playing alone is enough to hold my attention. What makes this album even more remarkable is that Aurora Borealis is largely a one-man show, with Ron Vento handling vocals and all instruments except drums. He also engineered, produced and mixed this album. Tim Yeung, formerly of Hate Eternal, adds to the drumming legacy of this band, which has previously included such drumming greats as Derek Roddy and Tony Laureano. Yeung delivers plenty of blast beats and complements Vento´s music perfectly. The last two tracks are taken from a demo recorded by an earlier lineup. The drumming style is clearly different and the sound is expectedly not as good on the bonus tracks, but the musical brilliance is still apparent. The only complaint I have about this album is a lack of truly great, captivating vocals, but I can certainly overlook such a weakness when the rest of the package is so tremendous.