| Aeons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 November 2025 | |||
| Recorded | 2024–2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:48 | |||
| Label | Starstorm | |||
| Producer | Kai, Takeshi Tokunaga | |||
| Esprit D'Air chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Aeons | ||||
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Aeons is the fourth studio album by Japanese rock band Esprit D'Air. It was released on 7 November 2025, and described by the band as a "new dark future metal odyssey". [2] The album debuted at #1 in the Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart. [3]
Following the release of their third studio album Seasons in November 2024, Esprit D'Air announced plans for Aeons as part of their ongoing development. In advance of the album's release, the band previewed material from the record during their 2025 European tour, performing songs in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and France. [4]
The first song released from the album, "Lost Horizon", appeared on 28 February 2025. Metal Hammer featured the track in its Tracks of the Week column and described it as "sci-fi noir". [5] [6]
The second song, "Shadow of Time", was released on 14 March 2025. [7]
"Zetsubō no Hikari" followed on 28 March 2025, incorporating elements of nu metal. [8]
The fourth track released in advance of the album was "Silver Leaf", on 18 July 2025. [9]
The fifth track released was "Chronos" on 19 September 2025, examining humanity's recurrent tendency to repeat past errors and questioning whether people can break free from destructive cycles. It was composed as a thematic reflection on how history can seem trapped on loop, and posits that change begins with individual agency. [10]
On 24 October 2025, Esprit D'Air released "Broken Mirror", the sixth and final single before the release of Aeons. [11] The track is described as one of the album’s heavier and darker songs, exploring themes of internal struggle, self-doubt, and breaking free from expectations. [12]
Aeons incorporates a blend of alternative metal, industrial rock, electronic music, and melodic songwriting. Lyrically and conceptually, Aeons centers on the theme of time and its psychological weight. According to vocalist and producer Kai, the album explores how time "traps us, shapes us, and forces us to confront ourselves" reflecting feelings of uncertainty as well as resilience. The record contrasts darker, introspective moments with themes of renewal, framing the album as a movement between "struggle and hope, darkness and light". [13]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Angry Metal Guy |   [14] |
| Chaoszine | [15] |
| Dead Rhetoric | [16] |
| Distopic.it |  [17] |
| Music Waves | [18] |
Aeons received positive notices from music publications. Devolution Magazine called the album "technically right on point", praising its "beautifully constructed melodies", and wrote that it "marks another step forward for one of metal's most consistent acts". [19]
Metal Hammer highlighted the single "Chronos" as having "a touch of the symphonic... a healthy dose of power metal and even a bit of traditional Japanese instrumentation", calling it "an exhilarating sprint of a track" that "leaves lofty expectations for new album Aeons". [20]
The singles "Chronos" and "Silver Leaf" were also voted by Metal Hammer readers as the best new metal tracks of the week. [21] [22]
Chaoszine gave the album five stars, praising its atmosphere, production, and songwriting, and described it as "a masterpiece from start to finish". [23]
Dead Rhetoric gave Aeons a positive review, praising its blend of genres and cohesive flow — concluding that Aeons is "more streamlined than some previous releases" while still showcasing "a progressive and innovative spirit". [24]
Aeons also received a favourable review from Angry Metal Guy, with the reviewer noting that the album “is built around alternative metal filtered through an anthemic, rock-oriented quality”. Overall, the review concluded that “the positives ultimately outweigh its stumbles”, describing Aeons as "an entertaining, tight bundle of melodic genre-defying goodness". [25]
MusicWaves awarded Aeons a 5/5 rating, praising its blend of power metal, prog metal, and alternative metal influences. The review highlighted the album's strong sense of melody and emotional depth, noting the balance between darker, heavier passages and more delicate moments such as the piano sections in "Shadow of Time" and the ballad "Stardust". The critic also praised Kai's vocal performance as versatile and expressive, describing it as central to the album’s emotional impact. The publication wrote that Aeons demonstrates a stronger cohesion than the band's previous releases, calling it "a perfect blend of darkness and rage, hope and white magic", and concluding that Esprit D'Air is "a band to be reckoned with." [26]
Aeons debuted at number 1 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, number 3 on the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart, number 6 on the UK Album Downloads Chart, and number 12 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. [27] [28]
Esprit D'Air announced a run of 27 live dates, beginning with a series of pre-release preview shows in March and April 2025, followed by the official post-release Aeons tour in November 2025 and February 2026. [29] [30]
| Date | City | Country | Venue | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 – Europe & UK | |||||||||||||||||
| 22 March 2025 | Bristol | England | Marble Factory | ||||||||||||||
| 23 March 2025 | Manchester | England | Academy 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 24 March 2025 | Newcastle | England | Digital | ||||||||||||||
| 25 March 2025 | Glasgow | Scotland | The Garage | ||||||||||||||
| 26 March 2025 | London | England | Electric Ballroom | ||||||||||||||
| 15 April 2025 | Antwerp | Belgium | Kavka | ||||||||||||||
| 16 April 2025 | Cologne | Germany | Essigfabrik | ||||||||||||||
| 17 April 2025 | Hamburg | Germany | Knust | ||||||||||||||
| 18 April 2025 | Eindhoven | Netherlands | Effenaar | ||||||||||||||
| 20 April 2025 | Berlin | Germany | Columbia Theater | ||||||||||||||
| 21 April 2025 | Prague | Czech Republic | Rock Café | ||||||||||||||
| 22 April 2025 | Kraków | Poland | Klub Studio | ||||||||||||||
| 23 April 2025 | Budapest | Hungary | Barba Negra | ||||||||||||||
| 24 April 2025 | Milan | Italy | Legend Club | ||||||||||||||
| 27 April 2025 | Madrid | Spain | Sala Mon | ||||||||||||||
| 28 April 2025 | Barcelona | Spain | Razzmatazz (postponed due to power cut) | ||||||||||||||
| 29 April 2025 | Paris | France | New Morning | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 – UK | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 November 2025 | Manchester | England | Rebellion | ||||||||||||||
| 12 November 2025 | Wolverhampton | England | KK's Steel Mill | ||||||||||||||
| 13 November 2025 | Swansea | Wales | Hangar 18 | ||||||||||||||
| 14 November 2025 | York | England | The Crescent | ||||||||||||||
| 15 November 2025 | Dunfermline | Scotland | PJ Molloys | ||||||||||||||
| 18 November 2025 | Barcelona | Spain | Razzmatazz | ||||||||||||||
| 21 November 2025 | London | England | 229 | ||||||||||||||
| 22 November 2025 | London | England | 229 | ||||||||||||||
| 2026 – Ireland | |||||||||||||||||
| 26 February 2026 | Dublin | Ireland | Academy Green Room | ||||||||||||||
| 27 February 2026 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | Limelight 2 | ||||||||||||||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tempus" | Kai | 1:05 |
| 2. | "Chronos" |
| 3:20 |
| 3. | "Shadow of Time" | Kai | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Quetzalcoatl" |
| 3:57 |
| 5. | "Silver Leaf" |
| 3:55 |
| 6. | "Stardust" | Takeshi Tokunaga | 4:42 |
| 7. | "Machina" | Kai | 1:00 |
| 8. | "Lost Horizon" | Kai | 2:23 |
| 9. | "Broken Mirror" | Kai | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Zetsubō no Hikari" | Kai | 2:26 |
| 11. | "Like A Phoenix" | Kai | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Habatake" | Kai | 3:25 |
Esprit D'Air
Additional personnel
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Sales (OCC) [32] | 29 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) [33] | 6 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [34] | 12 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [35] | 1 |