Review
Æges
The Bridge

The Mylene Sheath (2012) Sarah

Æges – The Bridge cover artwork
Æges – The Bridge — The Mylene Sheath, 2012

Los Angeles band Æges are a beautiful combination consisting of equal parts post-hardcore and sludge metal, and you can plainly hear this on their 2012 debut The Bridge. It combines weighty and languid guitar churning with fast-paced and frenetic songwriting to create a stunningly vivid result.

You can prominently hear the hardcore facet of Æges's sound on the majority of their songs. The opener "Wrong", for example, is an explosive track bursting with clean vocals and contrastingly dirty guitar lines, and the head-bobbingly catchy "The Words We Say" seeps with hardcore influences. Other tracks sound much closer to their sludgier post-metal side, especially with some of their longer offerings. "Southern Comfort" is full with low crunching guitars, mid-tempo, repetitive streams of chords, and bittersweet melodies, and the centrepiece track "The Bridge" is full of gratuitous builds, soaring vocals, and cathartic crescendos.

They aren't without their sweet moments, either. The slow-paced "My Medicine" manages to be aggressive while still maintaining a sentimental presentation, offering a small respite from the crunchiness surrounding it. "Sent From Heaven (Rest in Dirt)" also manages to be a surprisingly moving piece, mostly driven by the anthemic vocal melodies. The closer "Fade Out" definitely takes the cake though, featuring some of the best riffs on the entire album before ending with one hell of a striking build.

"Roaches" deserves mention as the standout track on the whole album, and that's no surprise, given that it was the lead single. There's just something about the insistently pulsing drums and screeching guitar lines that makes it much more than just compelling. The frenzied playing and aggressive vocal attacks make for one of the most satisfying pieces on the album. (Speaking of that single, it also contained the B-side "Dirt", a nineties-reminscent grungy rocker with one of the sickest guitar lines these guys have recorded. Sadly, that track does not make an appearance on The Bridge, so go grab the 7" or virtual EP to hear it.)

A minor issue is that some of the shorter tracks feel too much like a tease; they introduce some incredible ideas and then suddenly end before you can really experience them. "Doesn't Feel the Same" seems just to brief even for a heavy hardcore excursion, and "I Believe in Ghosts" is almost infuriatingly short with its industrial-power waltz. Overall, however, that's a complaint that many will actually find beneficial to their own particular tastes.

There is a lot of beauty to be found in the frantic spasms of The Bridge, and fans of hardcore and post-metal alike will find a lot to enjoy here. It's only real fault is that it's merely forty minutes long.

8.5 / 10Sarah • June 11, 2012

Æges – The Bridge cover artwork
Æges – The Bridge — The Mylene Sheath, 2012

Related features

Æges

One Question Interviews • August 30, 2014

Related news

Aeges at Fun Fun Fun, more

Posted in Tours on October 17, 2014

Aeges to release Above and Down Below

Posted in Records on August 3, 2014

New EP from Dust Moth in March

Posted in Records on February 15, 2014

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Detention

Dead Rock ‘N’ Rollers
Left For Dead Records (2024)

Life ain’t so easy in the detention home- Dead Boys. Emerging from the underbelly of Jersey, made up primarily of three brethren. Raised on rock and roll and sipping from the chalice of early punk rock stalwarts like Da Bruddahs from Queens, Hey Ho! and the Pistoleros of Sexual Nature screaming banshees from across from the large pond. Thus forging … Read more

Nightfreak

Nightfreak
Big Neck Records (2024)

Semi-feral punk outfit NightFreak are back with a self-titled LP filled with breakneck riffs and 70s metal bombast. The Chicago group haven’t slowed down since 2022’s Speed Trials but they have filled out. NightFreak the album is lousy with warm back beats and melodic guitars; although, hardcore vocals and tight drums still reign supreme. Album opener “Blackout” is dead serious … Read more

Death By Unga Bunga

Raw Muscle Power
Jansen Records (2025)

I’m pretty sure I became aware of Mike Krol when The Whiffs posted about playing some shows with him. Krol is a bit of an anomaly. Not only is he on Merge and collaborates with Mac Superchunk- a dream scenario imo- but he’s also been elusive of my fan boy attempts at cold dm’ing him about stuff even tho we … Read more