Scenario II is the swan song from Dutch metal band ‘Aura’. After 15 years and just after the recording of the album the band decides to change their band name in to Scenario II. This explains the album title right away. With ‘Scenario II’ they bid farewell to their previous band name and former line up (in witch the album was recorded), and they introduce the new band as well.
Aura hasn’t been really productive for over the last 15 years. In 1996 they released a mini-album through Hammerheart records and in 2001 they released self financed promo (Sect). I hope that the future will bring more releases from this band because they absolutely deserve to be heard.

The twelve songs on this album let us hear a band that absolutely knows what they are doing. The quality of the songs is on a very high level balancing somewhere between ‘In Flames’, ‘At the Gates’ and some ‘Satyricon’ it might sound a like strange combination but those where the first names that came into my mind listening to Scenario II.

Most songs are played in a very nice up tempo rhythm. Due to the variety within the songs and the use of different type of vocals (clean and grunts) it is very easy to keep the songs apart from each other.
The production, done by guitarist Mark van Doren’ could have been a little better, the drums sometimes drown in a sea of guitars. Besides that I can’t find any negative aspects on this very strong Dutch release. I really find that this band deserves a record label so than can release their albums more often than once every five or six years.

Besides the fact that the music of Aura sounds very well, my compliments go to the band for the beautiful lay out, in stead of a home printed cd booklet, they’ve chosen for a professional printed sleeve, designed by drummer Bas van den Boom. (For more information check out www.auraband.net)