Eternal Autumn – Below the Lightless Heavens
Release Date: 15th March 2024
Label: Self Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Traditional Heavy Metal, Blackened Death Metal.
FFO: Tribulation, Cardinal Sin, Edge of Sanity, Dark Tranquillity, At the Gates, Deströyer 666.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed in 1992, Swedish melodic death metal band Eternal Autumn returns with their newest self-released album, Below the Lightless Heavens. The band dropped two full length albums, 1998’s The Storm and 2000s From the Eastern Forest, before taking a lengthy hiatus. The band made a triumphant return in 2019 with their EP The Werewolf Diaries which brought the band a little more to the side of first wave black metal influence, then again in 2021 with their EP To Tame the Impaler showing a huge dose of 70s rock influence mixed in.
Combine all that with their Swedish melodic death metal, this proves to be an intoxicating blend of genres that go so well together. Thankfully, Below the Lightless Heavens picks up right where those scorching EP’s left off, only more evolved, more focused, more mature, and clearly more potent. Blackened death metal aggression meets melody meets traditional heavy metal/rock elements.
Despite having line-up changes and a lengthy absence, Eternal Autumn remains dedicated to their craft of putting out music that is engaging, aggressive and melodic. Think early At the Gates/Dark Tranquillity with a healthy dose of the new wave of British heavy metal and a little blackened edge. That is surely not exact, but it gives you the right idea.
Track by track, Below the Lightless Heavens feels like a throwback to the olden days of Gothenburg melodic death metal with those amazing guitar melodies that took the metal world by storm in the mid to late nineties. To this day, if done well, I still get goosebumps when I hear them. Eternal Autumn have mastered that glorious sound while bringing something fresh to the table as well. There is of course the unmistakable influence from traditional heavy metal added in, but there is also a slightly rough blackened Swedish death metal edge about the riffs that juxtaposed against the gorgeous melody that creates a different tension that feels exciting while maintaining a classic feel. It is a remarkable accomplishment to take a genre that has seen and heard it all and come out on the other end still sounding intriguing. There is an ethereal feeling to the music that is somehow heavy yet still accessible and jubilant. From a galloping rhythm section with rock influenced solo’s that rips through distorted chords on Autumn Gale to lush acoustics that lead to an anthemic sounding hook on Meet Us at the Crossroad that is beyond infectious. The fist pumping stomp of Lived once, Buried twice brings a vintage Motörhead swagger that you would think would be out of place but absolutely is not. Something just feels different about this release.
Vocally, John Carlsson who also does rhythm guitar and bass on the record, has a coarse, throaty growl. A harsh shouting style that reminds me of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates), it works incredibly well with the music. Lead guitarist Thomas Ahlgren’s solos are engaging and have an old school rock sound. Ripping and tearing with reckless abandon. Drummer Lawrence Dinamarca keeps everything flowing smoothly, never overplaying, his choice of fills and placement could not be any better thought out. This is truly a masterclass in songwriting and musicianship all the way around. Eternal Autumn proves with the release of Below the Lightless Heavens, old school melodic death metal in 2024 still has something worth saying and definitely worth hearing.
(5 / 5)
