Sweden's Quest of Aidance is all about predators.  No, not the kind that Chris Hansen catches coming over to the house of a thirteen year old "friend" with a pack of wine coolers in hand.  We aren't even talking about your garden variety lions, tigers, and bears.  We're talking about the kind of predator who would like to see the skulls of Danny Glover, Adrien Brody, and a couple of muscle-bound governors mounted on its wall. 

Formed by Christian Alvestam  (Ex-Scar Symmetry/ Solution .45/ Miseration, etc.) and Christian Lundgren (Carnalized) in early 2004, Quest of Aidance first independently released its Predator-themed death metal demo, Human Trophy, in 2005.  The demo was re-released a year later by Pulverised Records as an "album" featuring new artwork and a new title, Fallen Man Collection. 

Quest of Aidance's newest release, Dark Are the Skies at Hand, continues the recycling of these songs.  This EP is actually a ten inch record that snags two tracks from Fallen Man Collection / Human Trophy and adds four new tracks.  Two of the new tracks are "instrumentals," which basically translates to "filler."  One is an atmospheric sound collage of samples from the Predator movie, while the other sounds like an orchestral movie soundtrack.  Both tracks set a mood, but they derail the momentum of this already short release.  The death metal songs themselves are a sort of deathgrind that take a pinch of the Entombed / Dismember guitar sound and blend it with a more brutal musical approach.  The actual death metal on Dark Are the Skies at Hand is pretty kick ass and crushingly heavy for the brief time it lasts.  Quest of Aidance manages to incorporate catchy melodic riffs into its brand of grinding death without losing the brutality.  Unfortunately, the true songs are only eight minutes of this release's fifteen minute running time.  Plus, if you already have Quest of Aidance's first release, you are really only getting two new songs.  There's nothing wrong with the music on Dark Are the Skies at Hand.  In fact, it's highly enjoyable.  There's just not enough of it.

Dark Are the Skies at Hand is limited to five hundred hand-numbered copies, so if you are interested in buying this release, act fast.  Personally, I'm looking forward to hearing the band's upcoming full-length, Misanthropic Propaganda.  A full album should prove to be much more satisfying.  Plus, Misanthropic Propaganda is supposedly going to be based on V, the sci-fi television series from the eighties.  No kidding.  It should be interesting.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Distant World Arrival
2.  Sirian Breed
3.  Yautjan Overture (Instrumental)
4.  Yield
5.  Red Dust
6.  Soundtrack To Hish (Instrumental)

Total playing time:  14:51

Release Date: August, 2010
Label: Pulverised Records

Quest of Aidance - Dark Are the Skies at Hand

Reviewer: Roswell47

April 3, 2011