To the average music listener, death metal is a far too extreme beast -- a style that sounds like a big ol' bunch of noise. But to the death metal connoisseur, it is easily one of the most demanding metal subgenres. In fact, next to prog metal, it probably demands the most skill on one's instrument -- especially when it comes to nailing all the rapid-fire riffs and metronome-sharp drumming. And with that introduction, ladies and gentlemen, the stage is now set for Swedish death metal titans Aeon and their sophomore full-length, Rise to Dominate. All of the aforementioned elements are firmly in place for a 100 percent pure death metal festivity, especially on such sinful titles as "Hate Them," "There Will Be No Heaven for Me," "Godless," and (most obviously) "Living Sin." No variation, just a nonstop blitzkrieg of the extreme stuff -- the way the death metal masses like it. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi