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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Based out of Denmark, and signed to cult German record label, Prophecy Productions, BLAZING ETERNITY refer to their music as Nordic night metal. Obviously a perfect fit for Prophecy, and now sitting alongside fellow nightcrawlers, EMPYRIUM and IN THE WOODS, to name but a few. As they would have previously described themselves, the band might in fact share closet space with KATATONIA, early-ULVER, and ANATHEMA. The question beckons, however, as to whether that comparison still stands with this new release, A World to Drown In.[/FONT]
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Quite a turnaround from the previous (and rather magnificent) Time and Unknown Waters, BLAZING ETERNITY have changed the harsh outlook on life from abrasive pain to mournful solitude. (Time and Unknown Waters looked harsh even before the CD started spinning, with their art direction depicting a single tree pitched against a sea storm, and a back cover highlighting the remains of a dead seal washed upon the Danish shoreline). Analogized with dealings of personal loss, BLAZING ETERNITY have moved beyond a sense of shock and anger, and now enter phases of regret and recuperation. Gone are the blackened grim vocals make way for cleaner pastures; lyrics quite clearly delivered with sorrowful, and yet tuneful, tremble at the vocal cords. Guitars are now strummed through waves of melancholy, with slight melody floating around the same air space as, say, new line KATATONIA.[/FONT]
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BLAZING ETERNITY took great pride in their Time and Unknown Waters effort, completely exhausting compositions to the point where one to two years would have been spent in writing some of the tracks. A World to Drown In, however, may reflect the natural response, therefore, to something so grueling. Their latest release certainly seems more simplistic in its nature, but I speculate. The songs have an air of hope, with titles like To Meet You in Those Dreams and Stars in July particularly where the latter introduces female vocals and harmonies to accompany the new direction of clean and melodic instrumentation.[/FONT]
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The style change is obvious, especially in the vocals, but the underlying theme of who BLAZING ETERNITY want to be remains the same. Most importantly, nothing seems forced, and the all too obvious tortured artist persona is happily absent, preventing this flavor of gothic doom from sounding pretentious thankfully. Recommended, but I would urge you to start at the debut.
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7/10
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Based out of Denmark, and signed to cult German record label, Prophecy Productions, BLAZING ETERNITY refer to their music as Nordic night metal. Obviously a perfect fit for Prophecy, and now sitting alongside fellow nightcrawlers, EMPYRIUM and IN THE WOODS, to name but a few. As they would have previously described themselves, the band might in fact share closet space with KATATONIA, early-ULVER, and ANATHEMA. The question beckons, however, as to whether that comparison still stands with this new release, A World to Drown In.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Quite a turnaround from the previous (and rather magnificent) Time and Unknown Waters, BLAZING ETERNITY have changed the harsh outlook on life from abrasive pain to mournful solitude. (Time and Unknown Waters looked harsh even before the CD started spinning, with their art direction depicting a single tree pitched against a sea storm, and a back cover highlighting the remains of a dead seal washed upon the Danish shoreline). Analogized with dealings of personal loss, BLAZING ETERNITY have moved beyond a sense of shock and anger, and now enter phases of regret and recuperation. Gone are the blackened grim vocals make way for cleaner pastures; lyrics quite clearly delivered with sorrowful, and yet tuneful, tremble at the vocal cords. Guitars are now strummed through waves of melancholy, with slight melody floating around the same air space as, say, new line KATATONIA.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
BLAZING ETERNITY took great pride in their Time and Unknown Waters effort, completely exhausting compositions to the point where one to two years would have been spent in writing some of the tracks. A World to Drown In, however, may reflect the natural response, therefore, to something so grueling. Their latest release certainly seems more simplistic in its nature, but I speculate. The songs have an air of hope, with titles like To Meet You in Those Dreams and Stars in July particularly where the latter introduces female vocals and harmonies to accompany the new direction of clean and melodic instrumentation.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
The style change is obvious, especially in the vocals, but the underlying theme of who BLAZING ETERNITY want to be remains the same. Most importantly, nothing seems forced, and the all too obvious tortured artist persona is happily absent, preventing this flavor of gothic doom from sounding pretentious thankfully. Recommended, but I would urge you to start at the debut.
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7/10
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