dismember_marcin, November 16th, 2018 

If I was going to name Norwegian bands, with the most distinguished, original sound and style, then I would definitely mention Aeternus among them. They were (and still are, actually) completely different to all other bands from Norge and despite being formed in the golden era of Norwegian black metal, they never had much in common with the likes of Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, Emperor or Immortal. Which did not prevent them from being an important part of the scene! And that makes me think why the hell it feels like they are so underrated and almost forgotten nowadays? 

Anyway, Aeternus music was always very original and interesting. And it was such from their very first recording - which is amazing, I think! You could listen to a small part of their music and you'll immediately know that this is Aeternus playing, because there have never been another band, which would sound alike. I have to admit that I enjoy all Aeternus albums, but my favourites are those early recordings, especially "Dark Sorcery" EP, which is so fuckin awesome piece of music. Maybe one of the reasons why I enjoy it a bit more is the fact that it's a shorter recording (27 minutes of music on the Hammerheart digipack edition, which I own), so it is easier to get into. Aeternus music can sometimes feel a bit monotonous, as they often put songs through similar kind of slow-paced tempo, with that harsh, yet incredibly heavy riffage and monstrous, deep growl of Ares. So, it works the best on shorter recordings. And as such, "Dark Sorcery" is close to perfection, with no weak parts at all. 

Aeternus style of music is something between black metal - with that dark, very epic and monumental sound, slightly alike to bands such as Hades maybe, yet very different at the same time - and death metal, with that massive sound, overwhelming crushing heaviness and very deep growl of Ares, who sounds like he was summoning gods in the battlefield frenzy, not just "singing" some words. Riffs are quite special here, and I have to say that I love how Aeternus combines their heavy nature with a bit of majestic melody and sometimes even folky tunes. If you listen to these songs carefully then you will immediately recognize great potential and fantastic atmosphere, which this music brings. Yes, monumental, epic, war-like and truly destructive. It may feel slightly one dimensional in the beginning, but it's still very exciting and inspiring stuff, especially if you listen to such fantastic, thunderous tracks like "Raven and Blood" or "Victory". Their music has all these little details, like melodic bits, acoustic guitar parts, howling vocals, which gives even more impressive result. Absolutely essential part of the Norwegian metal scene, in my opinion. So, if you don’t know them, then check Aeternus out now. 

Standout tracks: "Raven and Blood", "Victory" 
Verdict: 85/100

oneyoudontknow, July 13th, 2014 

To be honest, It is a very simple formula that is presented on this first ep of the Norwegian band Aeternus. Somehow their name plays into this because one cannot shake of the impression as if the music would be able to go on for even longer, without ever annoying or tiring the listener. It is the steadiness, it is the limitation, it is the atmosphere which all in coalition leave this positive impression. 1995 the black metal scene looked different and the amount of facets of our days could not have been foreshadowed back then; not surprisingly the sound had been another one and could be perceived more gloomy today then all those years ago.

Back to the steadiness and to the simplicity. It appears that one merely needs to know how to brew the elements together properly in order for them not to leave the listener annoyed or bewildered. There is this consideration in the song-writing about the need for layers and how these support each other. Even though the drums are quite monotonous and could easily be “handled” by a drum-computer, they do not sound off. Furthermore, the guitars fall into a similar pattern and create a dense layer of sound, which comes over as quite impenetrable and creates the main focus once the vocals do not make an appearance. The melodies are allowed to progress slowly, there is no haste, the motives are supposed to sink in – sorcery or religion gains its strength from the aspect of constant repetition and this is celebrated by the Norwegian band in this case. Be it the subliminal manipulation of the mind in “Black Dust”, the glorification of the brutal deeds of a primitive tribe in “Victory” or the pagan mysticism in “Raven and Blood” all of these appear in a somewhat similar style and approach. Every time the music has this inevitable need for moving on. Or … is this because of the banality of each of these aspects; rendered meaningless in an environment of constant movement or dynamics? With this all encompassing imperative the perspective towards time and space changes and places these on a different level than modern man would tend to do. 

Anyway, what is somewhat curious about this release, as well as the later “... and So the Night Became”, is the limitation in dimension. Despite the extreme topics, the emphasis on war and destruction the music is surprisingly calm and maybe even focussed – in German I would use the word “gesammelt”, but I had been unable to find a term that would translate properly into English in this case. Somehow as if the entire aspect would be nothing more than a banal circumstance, whose overall implications can basically be ignored. Yes, the music is dark and the vocals – this generally great performance by Ares on the early outputs – do their part to increase the tension, but from a broader perspective one might ask whether the actual presentation of the topics are not a bit wanting and unnecessarily bereft of certain facets and sounds. This is also the main criticism of their second album – referred to above – as well as of their third one – “Shadows of Old”, which has seen a drastic shift on numerous levels and whose concept is rather an excuse for avoiding the issue of the preceding output. 

“Dark Sorcery” is a mixture of sounds and approaches. The tracks shift in concept and dominance. It feels as if the band had recorded the music during different sessions and did not pay proper attention for those trifles like an adequate balancing between the compositions. Leaving this aside, the last track on this ep falls a bit through the cracks, because “Nordlys”, except for an indirect reference to the concept of course, fails to be connected to the overall performance of the band on this ep. The fact that this flaw makes a strange reappearance throughout their “career” does definitely not help things in this regard. It comes over as an excuse for failing to web certain facets together into a coherent framework. Emperor had shown a larger amount of skill in song-writing in this regard. 

The fan boys are presumably all over this release, because in it those first glimpses of the later “grandeur” of the music of the Norwegians can be examined; their albums are overrated to some extent. But there are far too many unsatisfying things going on here. All of these are just small things, yet one cannot deny to ascertain that they all combined reduce the overall quality somehow. The icy guitars, the powerful drums and the impressive vocals are all well done in their respective corner. Once these appear aligned together questions arise … and with answers out of sight. It is no surprise to see a change in direction some year later, because throughout their albums the music is only allowed to shine locally and in small spots, while from a broader perspective it fails to thoroughly impress. It is the first step of a band that never really dared to dig deep into the realm that their music supposedly dealt with.

Sigillum_Dei_Ameth, October 19th, 2009 

Aeternus is a band that back in their early days were definitely one of those up-an-coming groups that were making a pretty good name for themselves in the underground. It didn't hurt the fact of the notion that they managed even in their demo days that they simply stood out from most of the goofy panda-faced pack of extreme Scandinavian metal imitators. Even though Aeternus have all the necessary and right black metal influences and roots, they were simply much more than that and they were onto a genre of music that is to this day hard to define; dark metal.

Dark metal is one of those many sub-genre names you always hear; Viking metal, Celtic metal, avant garde metal, etc. It's one of those names that are too broad to classify seeing how in reality so many bands carry the same traits as far as influences, lyrical themes. I mean, what makes a band such as Amon Amarth any different from Morbid Angel, other than they are at polar opposites of nature's elements(fire and ice, go figure!) and one talks about Vikings? They both still play death metal. So what could be dark metal described as? Well, it's extreme. That's a start. It's easily black and death metal, but it also includes doom and folk influences. Now I know some person is going to read this and disagree or say "You're so full of shit"...but then again you can go ahead your own damn review and give YOUR definition. Back to the topic; Aeternus is easily as black and death metal, but they are also as easily influenced by doom and folk at the same time perfecting a very HEAVY and just DARK sound. It's the kind of sound that evokes a feel of pure dread when alone. Crawling in a fetus position in a jail cell while being in an extreme state of schizophrenia or alone in the middle of the black forests of Maryland and hearing wild dogs howl in the dead of night. It's not depressing or melodramatic, it's just a heavy state of dread and fear mixed into one another. It's crushing in every sense. 

"Dark Sorcery" opens up with the song "Black Dust" which has vocalist Ares showing his great evil-sounding deep vocals off with the lines "human dreams - such a fruitful place to plant the seeds of terror." The song itself is very haunting. Imagine old-school Bathory mixed in with a more thicker, and echo-y doom metal sound/influence. There is a fuzz the guitars give off, but it adds to the thick wall of darkness the band manages to pull off. It's a very emotional piece that when I first listened to it, I imagine the simplistic idea of a child afraid of falling asleep at night because the boogeyman might get him. Mixed in with the sound of church bells, wolves, and evil-sounding monsters, again it evokes images of all your childhood fears come to life. For an opening track, it already sets the tone for the rest to follow. "Victory" opens up with Ares howling inhumanly, as if in pain. This song is more mid-tempo with some quick double bass rolls and is catchy. "Raven And Blood" could have easily been written by Amon Amarth. Oh yeah this one has those epic fucking Swedish metal riffs that goes back and forth between both Swedish death and black metal, which always amazes me because Aeternus are Norweigian. I'm not a rocket scientist on just how different Norweigian metal and Swedish metal and probably couldn't provide you with a definate answer, but Aeternus nails it with their sound. "Nordlys" is am amazing, beautiful acoustic piece with a medieval Celtic touch to it that makes you remember times of yore with huge beer mugs and wenches with their bosoms delivering them to you. The extra track "In the Darkest Circles Of Time" takes "Raven And Blood" and ups the evil mixture of Swedish black/death metal riffs and puts them to a war-like marching beat that ends with a crushing double-bass bridge with Ares growling the song's title.

Last thing I forgot to mention is how this band put out some really good albums even after this. Although shortly after their second album "...and So the Night Became", they put out one more album with their original and best line-up which consisted of Ares on vocals/guitars, Morrigan on bass, and Vrolok on drums, they completely lost track and tried to sound too much like Zyklon/Morbid Angel in my opinion. It sucks because up to their second album Aeternus was just a damn good band. Oh well. I still remember the day I actually found their "Dark Sorcery" E.P. in the local record store and then taking it home and being blown away by the sound and everything. Also if you managed to come across a copy of this, make sure it's the 1999 Hammerheart re-issue. It's worth it. It's definitely one of the handful of albums I constantly go back to and tell people about.

Sacraphobic, June 6th, 2005 

Holy fucking shit, I should’ve got this one sooner. I wasn’t expecting such a glorious demo from two years prior to “Beyond…”, yet my cynicism over Aeternus' consistancy has yet again been proven unfounded. There’s not even a slight feeling of primitivity or unbalanced songwriting, this is Aeternus in a nutshell; intelligent, epic and above all conceptually coherent. There’s even a lovely acoustic instrumental!

The songs don’t quite follow lyrically in the manner they do on “Beyond…”, which isn’t abnormal for an EP, but Aeternus yet again never lose sight of their goal, sailing into war with ingrained pride and honour. In fact there is very little difference between this and the debut full-length, except maybe a slight lack in subtlety, contrasting moods and daring exploration, so I’m struggling to think of anything to add. 

Bottom line: This is narrative, epic, glorious DM-influenced BM that should be on every Aeternus fan’s list (and everyone else’s too).

GrizzlyButts, July 1st, 2018 

Incensed by the thriving and competitive early 90’s black metal scene in Bergen, Norway Ares aka Ron Hovland formed Aeternus more or less alongside groups like Gorgoroth, Hades with Borknagar nor far behind post-Molested. Of their compatriots early Aeternus‘ compositions resembled Hades (later Hades Almighty) closest but their style also contained death metal and Ulver-like pagan black metal elements as well. The ‘Walk My Path’ demo from 1994 gave only a muffled hint of the greatness they’d leap towards on their renowned 1995 EP ‘Dark Sorceries’ which surprisingly didn’t resemble Hades‘ ‘…Again Shall Be’ which invoked far more Bathory than expected. The death metal vocals and folk-ish melodic guitar work was at once epic and harshly black metal in execution. As such Aeternus had more or less differentiated themselves from their Bergen fellowes by absorbing elements from all over the Norwegian extreme metal scene of the time.

After Ares’ stint as bassist in Gorgoroth between their second and third albums the project took on Morrigan aka Nicola Trier on bass, who would stay with the band for their early classic trilogy of albums as well as session work on ‘Ascension of Terror’ as they began to lean into death metal. Her presence was vitally important to the band’s early full-length discography with her piano/keyboard work helping the band’s melodic/black/death/folk sound stretch into greater atmosphere and detail. Likewise her bass guitar performances are notably audible and dynamic throughout, something more common in Bergen black metal bands compared to the raw-doggin’ Oslo folks at the time.

Even more rousing and notable here are the efforts of drummer Vrolok, whose combination of thickly hammered double-bass drumming and black/folk metal appropriate rides escalated Aeternus to professional level drum performances. His performances on the first six Aeternus records showed great versatility in general but his work on ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon’ is particularly unexpected and on par with that of ‘Far Away From the Sun’. Ares himself continued his ambitions from ‘Dark Sorcery’ into something invoking an ever expanding vision of Molested-like death metal suffocation, and Ulver meets Enslaved sort of viking/folks inspired black metal rhythms. It wasn’t far from what Borknagar were doing on their 1996 self-titled debut but the two records deserve separate analysis and respect for their innovation and masterpiece quality.

‘Beyond the Wandering Moon’ is not simply a black metal record and instead occupies a space entirely it’s own and much of this is due to the breathtaking production from Pytten. Eirik Hundvin is a legend of Norwegian black metal’s second wave and though you might not know who the strange-looking rock bassist is he recorded, produced, or mixed every band I’ve mentioned in this review so far as well as Burzum, Immortal, Old Funeral, Taake, Windir and several more notable groups. With Pytten fully at the helm, and several years deep into his craft, they found a dynamic and full sound that was appropriate for Ares‘ intended ‘dark metal’ approach. This ‘dark metal’ idea combined both epic black metal intent and death metal aggression in equal terms and would expand into other styles of extreme metal beyond this debut album.

So, what makes ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon’ special is it’s full and unique approach that quickly stretched it’s wings of ambition beyond the norms of Norwegian black metal. I’d like to call it pagan black metal inspired but in the mid-to-late 90’s it wouldn’t have been appropriate as Helheim and Primordial had established pagan black metal as something spiritually separate at the time. I’d also like to call it melodic black metal and again point towards Sacramentum‘s debut for both the adept use of melodic movements and intense drumming but the guitar work aims more for flow rather than complex melodic themes. Some of great allure of early Aeternus records are their defiance to fit into any one defined sub-genre hole and each remains a brutally melodic, epic and memorable folk (or doom)-tinged extreme metal release.

As I slowly converted into a black metal fan after a decade of defiance ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon’ was, and continues to be, an enormous blip on my radar. Not only does the album carry an appreciation for old school death metal heaviness but Ares‘ talent for inherently melodic structures and epic song lengths (7-8 minutes on average) serves as an admirable indoctrination to a wider spectrum of extreme metal textures that were only possible with black metal’s influence. The guitar work is a hazy, atmospheric rendering that still manages a muscular thunder upon the release that was completely unrivaled by most late 90’s black/death albums. It also represents a truly strong mixture of the atmospheric qualities of black metal translated into death metal’s rumbling attack.

At a full hour ‘Beyond the Wandering Moon’ is oppressive, haze-inducing and begins to drag slightly as the implementation begins to hit upon redundant song structures. So, even though I consider it one of the best black metal-related releases of all time I understand it is overly long and an example of excess drive and inspiration. I have equally high praise for the band’s second album ‘…And So the Night Became’ and recommend both to fans of melodic black metal, atmospheric death metal, black/death metal, black folk/metal, and everything in between that is so strongly represented in Aeternus‘ debut. 

Attribution: https://grizzlybutts.com/2018/05/01/retro-tuesdays-aeternus-beyond-the-wandering-moon-1997/

Lane, July 5th, 2012 

Aeternus' debut album saw the light (or probably the dark) back in 1997. Aeternus had been on my want-list for years and at last I got this at the end of 2002. This is the diary of the process that I went through with 'Beyond the Wandering Moon'.

The CD arrived and I inserted it into my CD player as fast as possible: This is what I'd been waiting for so long... Well, the cover looks okay, but the booklet is kind of boring. But hey, it is the music that matters! Eerie piano intro 'Under the Blade of the Dead' began to play and I simply forwarded to the next song. 'Sworn Revenge' surprised with its fast tempo. Oh, another black metal album from Norway, then... But the song has a lot of parts and different musical stuff. Surprisingly heavy album, but still individual sound. And those Celtic melodies! Wow!!! I continued listening to the album and doing something with my computer at the same time. The music flowed on, but it had become numbing, boring actually. And during 'Embraced' I started to forward the songs. "Oh, not so good album" was my initial opinion.

Next time: I had already put the album on my trade-list. I grabbed it one night as I started to read a book. I thought it would go nicely on the background. It did, for some time. Again it started to sound very boring. Then I thought I'm going to write this review.

Time: Now. What I have learned, once again, is that some music needs total concentration so it can linger and pollute a listener's mind. What I have found in 'Beyond the Wandering Moon' is nothing beautiful, but very dark and brutal atmospheres. Doomy heaviness, blackish touches, death metal brutality, ancient warrior spirit, folky melodies and melancholic piano work. A band that comes to my mind is Primordial (also on Hammerheart Records), but Aeternus are still individual because of their Norwegian roots. The songs are long and sometimes nothing seems to happen in the form of changes. So, partly almost transcendental, partly warlike. One just needs to let the music in, at least this worked with me. Still, it is not possible to get into the album all the time, it needs a right state of mind.

As stated, the sound is partly blackish, but it is so much heavier than usual Norwegian black metal giants usually are (or were). Some of the elements are a bit buried in the mix, but all this makes the album sound original (kind of dirty, but epic) and one can find new things after many listenings. Look at the cover and listen to the music and there is a connection, as is with the music and lyrics. The sound effects heighten the atmospheres. Who doesn't love ravens' song?!

Aeternus' debut album is full of epic and original dark metal. And that's a lot said, I think, especially in these times of clones.

(originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com in 2003)

Sacraphobic, August 20th, 2004 

A blizzard is conjured, a crystal sheet penetrating the darkness, glistening with strength. The strength of your ancestors, your people, as you and they become one with the Earth. You are a warrior, and you will die honourably, at peace with yourself and with your world. You will wait for the storms.

Ah, this is a beauty - one to which I can't hope to do justice with mere words. Ambient, pulsing rhythms reminiscent of a ship rocking on stormy seas. Folk-tinged melodies vary subtly against a blanket of white noise which dominates the CD. Rhythmically driven by the drums which throb broodingly in the background. Vocals aren't prominent either - deep, lengthy growls, adding an extra layer of darkness and rhythm to the music. The album closes with a reflective Celtic tune which is very aptly named "Celtic Harp Solo", having opened with an ominous piano piece. In addition, the production is excellent.

In a way similar to the very best of Burzum and Sacramentum, Aeternus succeed at disconnecting the listener and transporting them to an unexplored world with endless possibilities.

epicdrumline, June 29th, 2014 

I will be the first to admit that black metal is not my favorite genre, I much prefer brutal and tech death to most others. This statement stands true, unless I'm talking about this album. I think that ratings should carry a certain weight behind them and only the cream of the crop deserve even over a 90%, let alone a 100%. This is the only album I have ever heard that is fully deserving of a perfect score, solely because it is a perfect album in every way I can think of. Anyone who is a fan of metal in general can find something they will enjoy here and everyone should listen to it at some point in their life; it is enlightening, magnificent and will change the way you look at music forever. 

Aeternus has had a long and storied career, involving lineup changes and even genre transitions, whom some say was arguably a bad idea, but I think they are one of the few bands that did, over time, successfully change from black metal to more straightforward death metal. For this album, we had the ideal lineup and here is why I say that: Ares, Morrigan and Vrolok transcended what it means to be musicians for this album. I share an insight with a fellow reviewer, when I say that they were no longer individuals when they created this jewel, they converged their minds to become one omniscient being, capable of conjuring a product that is flawless. No instrument overpowers the others in the mixing or in the performances and everyone was on the same page when this was written. I wont go over every song, just the ones I think are very important to the whole picture. 

The album opener "There's No Wine like the Blood's Crimson" starts with a 5 minute awe-inspiring, setting builder that gets the listener ready for the journey and tone of the album. After the long percussive piece ends, the main riff starts and you know something is going to happen. The first vocals of the album are one the most spine-tingling moments in music I've ever heard; Ares comes in with his powerful growl and yells, "Bloodred sky, bloodred fields, the sun in it's last breath, providing the shadows of the trees". If you like these kinds of vocals and you don't get full body chills from listening to that, then you're not human. After the first sentence you can assume what the album will be about, and the rest of the lyrics portray Ares killing armies of men with no remorse; a great subject for the genre and actually different than most. The song is very long at over 13 minutes, but the length plays a key role in the tone of the song and the album as a whole. This song is plenty enough for the listener to want more and go through the whole album. 

The third song, "Warrior of the Crescent Moon" is my personal favorite of the album and perhaps my favorite black metal song of all time. It opens with absolutely gorgeous acoustic guitars, then almost instantly transitions to the darkest and heaviest tone of the album, with lower tuned guitars and slower brooding drums the keep the pace slow yet still moving. One thing that gets me about this song is the use of the keyboards throughout, they are only used when it is seems they are necessary and come in at perfect times to break the monotony that can be the guitars and drums. This seems to be the story for a couple songs on the album and it is another reason this album is so great, they don't over use the keyboards and synths to create mood like most other black metal bands, but only to amplify it in certain places. 

The album has a steadiness to it that is present through most of it, but it never permeates or overstays its welcome; there are a huge number of timing changes and even some really fast thrashy sections like in "When the Crow's Shadow Falls" that could put some thrash bands to shame. There is also a large variance in tone of guitars throughout whether it be extremely heavy riff based songs or more upbeat melodic parts in places. Alone with a huge variance in the guitars, the vocals may be the strongest part of this entire piece of art. Ares has a range that very few people can compare to and he shows off his extremely low growls, powerful screams/shrieks and even some clean vocals like in "Ild Dans". All of the pieces are so well presented, while you listen to it, you don't think that the guitars are sweet, or the drums are cool; you just look at the big picture and try not to release your bowels. 

This album is all about story telling and no good story can be finished without a climax and an ending, and "... and So the Night Became" is an obvious climax of the album. Even if you didn't know it was the last actual song of the album, I guarantee you could tell just by listening to it and reading/hearing the lyrics; "With horned wings and cold minds, the dwelling and feeding, it is complete. Now we rise!". A great way to wrap up the great story that unfolds around you; a story I will not spoil because it is worth discovering for your own. The last track, "Fyrndeheimen" is an instrumental that is very militaristic in nature, for a good reason. At the same time, it adds elements of folk and pagan metal including instruments typically found in those genres. It is a great resolution and a perfect ending to the adventure of this album. One thing that bothers me, but is due to my own ignorance, is that the story has certain holes in it due to some of the songs not being in English, but this can't really be a complaint now, can it?

To mention some of the outside elements of the album; the production is perfect. It is in no way over-produced and not raw sounding to where you cant hear every element that is before you. The artwork is not fantastic, but Aeternus is not really known for their artwork on the front, but for what is on the inside. There are 2 different cover arts, the Karmageddon Media one and the original Hammerheart Records one.

This album is a must for anyone who has ever had an interest in metal, whether it be folk, death, black, or anything in between. This is true dark metal and is a necessity to all; I highly suggest you give this a listen. An album that you can listen to for eternity and never get tired of is an album worth a 100%, and this is one of those. I recommend you listen to it in order. There's no wine like the bloods crimson, warrior of the crescent moon, Ild dans.

There are classic albums and then there are masterpieces. Albums which grow grand with age and more glorious and supreme even against an ever increasing catalog of excellent choices. Somewhere out there amongst all the music I've ever listened to in the past eighteen years an incredibly small number of albums have become mainstays in my listening, beacons of perfection to the dross and mediocrity, examples of pristine inspiration and execution. For almost all bands, after years and years of striving, they never create anything resembling even an average-quality album. Some bands, with the right combination of artistry might assemble a work which surpasses most, becomes an inspiration... an example of the fineness of a genre, something more than average. And then out of the depths of obscurity arises a crafted heirloom more than the musicians involved and the context surrounding it. Within black metal a lot of albums claim these titles and more... many of which are classics less for their music and more for that context. I can't speak for them but one black metal album has outlived, surpassed and decimated all others in all areas.

Where Beyond The Wandering Moon literally wandered around for parts of the album, finding the trail and hidden grottoes deep amidst the dark flora across several excellent tracks such as Vind, Sentinels of Darkness and Sworn Revenge, ...And So The Night Became became a connected soul within that cimmerian world. With lunar guidance and celestial fates beaming down, Ares, Morrigan and Vrolok ceased to be individual members of a band, blending and morphing into a single mindset and lone essence. If the overtones here are of the essential elements which Black Metal requires, and those odors are plentiful, robust and pure, it's the more subtle fragrances which emanate. They've drawn me in since the beginning with this album. Fundamentally for me, there is this overwhelming sense of grandeur and royalty here. Aeternus, through music have created the architecture of regality. It is evidenced in tracks like "Warrior of the Crescent Moon" and "Ild Dans." In the fearlessness of "As I March" and "Blodsverging." 

There are parts of the songs present here, which simply defy simple round-about descriptions. The five minute intro of "There's No Wine Like The Blood's Crimson," is a marvel. It builds into this epic exploratory emotion within, and when the main riff to the track kicks in, you can begin to create a world around you. It's the tentativeness of riding up to the dark gates of Satan's castle. It's the hesitation of being in an unwelcoming environment without any chance of return. You are thrown headlong into a Gothic nightmare, the kind Bram Stoker wrote about in the final pages of Lair of the White Worm. You can imagine somehow being surrounded by ancient walls and blood-soaked parapets, drenched in the rain of an endless storm. The echo of downpours - the ceaseless double bass - and the crash of thunder - massive fills on the toms. You've opened the door, expecting some respite from the madness and yet, you step through the threshold into "As I March." The field is coated in dew. The enemy is in sight and you are rushing them with spears and swords leveled at their faces. There is an uncanny slowness to the whole thing, a respect on the parts of all involved in the skirmish. You are not there for any Lord or King. It is the battle you crave. You call out your liege to the ground you were born from, you claim you allegiance to the blood you endeavor to spill. 

Aeternus craft imagery with ease. The lyrics encapsulate the primitive and the refined elements of both opposites, dredging the soul to rediscover emotions long since forgotten by mankind - a more simple way of thought and yet, a more complex way of understanding the world. They proclaim only the desire to return to the mud and the grave, to be once again one with Her; blood to the rivers and flesh to the mountains. The arrangement and exquisite acoustic playing on tracks like Warrior Of The Crescent Moon, When The Crow's Shadows Fall and closer Fyrndeheimen hearkens to the early Empyrium albums but where Empyrium reveled in bringing the Pastoral to the forefront, Aeternus here drag forward a yearning for that aforementioned simpler life and yet the hopelessness that we can never return to such glorious times. We live in a world of ephemeral respect and momentary delights and we have ourselves to blame. The album shows us what could have been, where society could have gone. Less cryptically, the album shows us where Black Metal can go. It can retain all the aggression, all the hate and passion and yet be sentimental and reach into us and grab the emotions we all feel. 

And yet, where Aeternus have excelled on this album truly is in the scale of the songs. There are no black or white tracks here. No one track serves it's own purpose. "As I March" opens into the reverence of "Warrior of the Crescent Moon," with it's softly mixed synths careening across layers of exquisite melody and rumbling verses. The vocals are pained and frantic. And though in many places the tracks are linear, with little repetition of parts, this creates the feeling falling forward forever through the mountains and glens and into dark caves and torch-lit cairns populated by robed priests with sheepskin cloaks and intricately carved horned helms drawing the star's light into them and glowing with ages of ritual use. "...And So The Night Became," then romps through the mid-paced "Blodsverging," the album's weakest track if it could be considered so. It still highlights vocals and melody which are such strengths of this album.

"When The Crow's Shadows Fall" begins with ancient melodies and a bittersweet lead before taking flight into one of the album's fastest and most intense tracks. It's song the grandness of death, the honor once afforded fallen warriors, the finality of courage. I've listened to this album many times and still get chills when I sit on the floor, with the lyrics in front of me and absorb every drum beat and every wail. It is the best way to appreciate this one - head down, mind open and pores soaking in each snap of the snare and every swirling keyboard passage. This is especially true on the final two tracks of the album. "Ild Dans" is to this album what "Sunwheel" may be considered to Drudkh's Autum Aurora or "Heathen Tribes" on To The Nameless Dead - and I sense a slight melodic similarity in that regard early in the song. It's an uptempo dance, a bright dawn, a sweet scent during hard times, dark nights or sweeping across a rotting battlefield. So much of the album is a dichotomy such as this, harshness paired with melody and aggressiveness paired with something gentle. 

One of the most spine tingling moment is the end of Ild Dans where gates open, doors unlock and keys are turned to present an epic vista of Valhalla before the ears. Clean vocals, mixed with harsh vocals over acoustic guitars mixed with the heavier distorted tone. It's the wonder of ...And So The Night Became that these moments appear and fall much like the life of a hero, often ended too short and before respect can be shown to their actions. You must relive these moments again and again to feel satisfied and even then, you need to return to them soon afterwards to feel them again. And much like this short section the title track is a marvel. It takes everything proposed musically and puts it in context into a single soundtrack. The song is a true album climax. Two minutes in you are walking up to meet your greatest foe and the battle has commenced. You fight for your king and fellow countrymen. Aeternus have wrapped their wings around you, like a black angel, and are lifting you into the sky as you relive your life in the form of a medley of images. You are dying in service to your honor and as you are laid to rest in the Longship and the waves crash around you, you watch yourself burn. 

And as ashes we return. ...And So The Night Became is a grand story. We are born, we fight, we triumph and we fail. "With horned wings and cold minds, The dwelling and feeding, it is complete. Now we rise."

Originally written for Contaminated Tones

There are moments in my life where I go totally ballistic over black metal bands, and have the urge to purchase their entire discography in one online sitting. Then, there are times where I just want to steal their stupid clown paint and build churches near their homes. As you can probably tell, when it comes to black metal, I’m extremely interchangeable. But that doesn’t mean I can’t tell a masterpiece from Death Cult Armageddon when I hear one. Aeternus is, amazingly enough, a mere 3-piece side project of Obtained Enslavement and Gorgoroth. How can a side project be so much better than either of the bands it spawned from? This band will show you. Songs range from 6-11 minutes and stretch over 70 minutes, and amazingly, never get boring. The band has a feel unlike any other band. Never have I heard such strong blackened growls, militaristic (and amazingly well played) drum patterns, and such an incredible fusion between smooth, rich, beauty, and thick, distorting evil. Clean vocals even shine through on one of the later tracks, and in a way so strong, you’ll have multiple seizures. Everything starts out slow with gloomy keyboards, picks up speed, then flows into beauty, speeds up or slows down, and ends peacefully and calmly. I can honestly say, from my very first listen’s completion, I realized that this would become one of my favorite albums of all time. To sum it up, ...And So The Night Became is over an hour of thick, war-filled atmosphere, blackened and melodic death metal, and some of the most incredible musical talent I’ve ever heard. You haven’t truly worshiped dark death/black metal til you’ve heard this album. Unfortunately, these guys became more death metal (Behemoth-esque) in their more recent releases, and can’t come anywhere near the beauty and power of this album. There’s no excuse not to own this.

This one's so instantly enjoyable that for a while I thought it may have "Beyond the Wandering Moon" beat, which is no mean feat. It's basically carved from the same piece of wood; folkish melodies subtly floating backwards and forwards across a pulsing beat to produce transcendent ambient black metal with death influences.

There are a couple of reasons why I initially favoured this over "Beyond...". Firstly, even though this isn't true in a lot of cases, the compositions on this release seem longer; not through being drawn out, but by simply having more packed in. It seems that Aeternus have managed to achieve a rare thing in extreme metal; retaining a great level of focus while being more varied than before. The melodies are more initially hooky, as well, though ultimately not quite as satisfying.

There's less blasting, which was never a problem for me (I think it works to the debut's benefit) but may have been for others, but other than that the drumming is similar; throbbing and driving the melodies forward with formidable force. There are quite a few mellifluous acoustic passages, which portray to me the peace that the warriors feel while fighting ferocious battles for honour and a better world, with the heavier parts representing said battles.

The vocals are powerful growls once again, and are more prominent in the mix, giving the recording a savage edge. The drums have a less trebly sound. The production is just generally fuller, giving the album less icyness but making up for it in power. 

To sum up, whilst not quite as subtle or intelligently structured, this is nearly as good as "Beyond the Wandering Moon", which means it's an absolutely essential addition to your collection.

I remember a year ago, when Aeternus were considered a crappy brutal death band by a great majority of tasteful critics. Nobody seemed to have any idea about their beautiful first two offerings. When those were finally brought to the forefront on the message boards I frequent, still there was barely a mention of their third recording, Shadows of Old. That was the album with which they supposedly changed styles, so of course I figured that it wasn’t worth getting. Bollocks to that – this rules!

It’s certainly not as dense, atmospheric, subtle or interesting as the previous two releases but hey, neither are any other metal albums bar about 5 or 6 at the most. Death metal with a clear sense of ancient spirit, plenty of variation in tempo, plenty of acoustic folk melodies and piano passages, transitions between the epic and the brutal, quite a bit of subtlety and changes in mood - that’s what’s on offer here. This certainly doesn’t feel like a failed attempt at capturing the essence of earlier offerings - rather a conscious decision to follow a different direction, and one that’s executed rather impressively, at that.

There are still sections of folk-orientated passages drifting ambiently over pulsating slow-paced drumming, but now there are far more blasting sections and aggressive melodies. Blasting can be a bad thing, but it can also be used to create great ambience, and of course Aeternus do little but, as per usual. From start to finish it’s spiritually sound despite the sacrifice of atmosphere for intensity – a very ancient aura oozes from the music. Some of the melodic ideas are not so far from The Chasm’s great school of thought, while others would fit on Aeternus’ marvellous previous albums, and perhaps earlier CDs by Amorphis and Sacramentum. There’s even a touch of old-school Norwegian black to be found. Let’s not forget, though, that it’s all integrated into intense Florida-styled death metal.

I’m actually going to give this a score in the high 70s, I like it quite a bit. It’s still ambient and subtle albeit somewhat less so, it’s epic with an extra dash of brutality, but above all else it is the essence of ancient spirit that really draws me in. And, as a sidenote, there’s those fucking brilliant vocals – Ares is a man at the top of his trade. “Descend to the Underworld” and “Dark Rage” are probably the highlight songs though my opinion of this will probably change.

So don’t get me wrong, it’s not nearly as good as the two before, but I admire the fact that they’ve clearly gone for a different sound here and, once again, they’ve pulled it off pretty darn well. Who knows, maybe in a couple of months when I’ve got “Ascension of Terror”, I’ll be writing another review of praise. Surely they went bad at some point, though, or have you all been telling me fibs?

Aeternus turned me into an instant fan with their first two albums, "Beyond the Wandering Moon" and "...And So the Night Became", so it was with great eagerness that I picked up their third full-length release "Shadows of Old" the second I saw it for sale. On the first listen, though, I was greatly disappointed - it seemed that they had traded their own unique atmosphere for more speed and brutality. I persevered, though, giving it a few more spins, and ultimately I grew to like it quite a bit. It is true that the band has toned down it’s tendency to write longer songs and include more repetitive/hypnotic/atmospheric parts, moving more into faster and brutal, almost death- metallish territory. After digesting it some, though, I noticed that the atmosphere is still present, just ‘intensified’, being more ‘angry’ than simply ‘reflective’(for lack of better words). Right off the bat the album starts with some relentless blasting on the opening cut "Under the Eternal Blackened Sky" (and I mean RIGHT at the start - not even single second of intro music...), and it doesn’t let up until somewhere in the middle of track two or three. There are some of the longer, slower, hypnotic passages in some of the later songs, and they also include some nicely melodic riffs and acoustic-only intros to later songs, but overall this album is faster and heavier than their first two albums. It does take time to grow on you, but once it does you’ll like it just as much as the first two. 

Almost-unrelated side note - it’s unfortunate to see that the whole ‘take off the corpse paint for a totally gay look’ trend has infected Aeternus as well. As if the cover wasn’t bad enough, the member photos inside the booklet are just beyond gay...except for Morrigan and her plastic pants and tank-top, of course...) Don’t let that sway you away from the music though - this album rocks.

(Originally published at LARM (c) 2000)