The mystical occult heavy metal band The Night Eternal return with their third full length album. As a huge fan of their body of work up to now, I am very excited to hear how things have continued. Release is set for the 21st of August via Metal Blade Records (LP, CD, digital) and Dying Victims Productions (for the cassette edition).
The immediate cloak of atmospheric and eerie heavy metal shrouds the air in a misty and forlorn soundscape. With melancholic and yet triumphant riffing meeting those oh so haunting vocals that all fans of The Night Eternal are surely addicted to, this record leads as it means to continue. “Where this World Ends” showcases the chilling moodiness that this band has mastered and equally their ability to write commanding and memorable music with groove, grit and a gut-punch of heaviness. It is important to note that they have moved from the underground Ván Records to the much larger Metal Blade Records, both responsible for many of my favourite albums across many genres of metal music, but they have not allowed this step forward in their career to step away from their own hallmarks as a band or lose their charm. In fact this record feels as pure and bewitching as ever. Entwining their serpentine heavy metal with gothic elements conveys both the obscure and ensnaring with the full force of a classic heavy metal attack. With that airy production and their ghostly song structures fluidly moving while keeping this hard-rocking backbone going strong, it is impossible not to be hooked by the magic and majesty of “Cold Velvet”.
Often utilising these classic grooving riffs with spectral melodies and strong drum beats, there is a simplistic yet effective nature to the songwriting on this record and the devil is definitely in the details. From the electrifying vocal performance to the textured guitar tones and subtle tambourine use, everything feels rich and organic. Each song feels like it is taking you through a Hammer horror tale but with this potent sense of a very real magic. The blissful guitar leads further these arcane emotions and the evocative nature of the album that is not afraid to show a sensitive side while keeping it true as always. There is no denying the maturity is just as strong as the all-out power of The Night Eternal whose songwriting has continued to bedazzle spectral souls across several albums now. Charging ever forward with their melodics and mournfulness, we surge on further into the dark of the night with the echoing intoxication of this record as our only guide.
It is difficult to convey precisely what is so special about these songs. Each element is fairly typical of a traditional heavy metal band but sometimes a band has that “je ne sais quoi” that grabs you by the throat or the heart and insists there is something more happening. The sheer integrity and soulfulness of these pieces of music speak volumes for themselves. There is nothing pretentious to speak of nor is there some sense of progression for the sake of progression. No, The Night Eternal simply want to present their otherworldly take on truly impeccable heavy metal music for those who can feel their darkened magical essence speaking to their soul. I implore anyone to listen to “The Watcher of the Burning Veil” and if you feel nothing, your soul is probably defective. Until its end you will find the enshrouding mystique of “Cold Velvet” a resplendent embrace that offers glorious heavy metal and unearthly atmospherics in equal measure. These songs will certainly stay with you and the craftsmanship on display here should be all the convincing anyone needs.
Don’t look back! The Night Eternal move forward with their sinister and seductive heavy metal, proving to be no mere flash in the pan with a third supreme album to continue their reigning run of supreme dark arts. Much like Attic, Witching Hour and other German acts, The Night Eternal have something inarguably their own with an evil presence that calls back to the archaic metal of old without cheaply mimicking it. “Cold Velvet” is a monumental record and one that will spellbind you with its lingering presence long after the needle drops and comes back up again. I expect this to be haunting the homes of many headbangers this year…
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