The story of The Eternal begun in 2003 when the Australian doom band Cryptic Darkness reformed and changed name to The Eternal. "The Sombre Light Of Isolation" is their debut album and came out earlier this year through Finnish Firebox Records. As expected from a Firebox release we have a strong Doom metal album to be reckoned with.

The Eternal plays a mix of Gothic and melancholic Doom metal and they sound a bit like newer Anathema & November's Doom mixed together. Varying from very soft and beautiful passages to more heavier and guitar-driven doom. The songs are nicely composed and the length of the tracks seems to be just right. Whether it's the 11 min title track or the 4 min long ballad "Down", the tracks never feels drawn out or too short. The production on the album is very good and clear and gives the album a nice and relaxing athmosphere. The bass and drums are somewhat weak in the production though. I would have liked them to give the drums more focus and a heavier sound.

The album starts with a short and epic keyboard/ambient intro that goes into the first "real" track A Cruel Misfortune. This track is a perfect display of The Eternal's good songwriting and sense for beautiful melodies. Vocalist Mark Kelson has a very melancholic and relaxing voice that fits in with the music perfectly. His growls on the other hand are not so good but fortunately not used as often. The guitar-work is solid, keeping the melodies and riffs simple yet effective. Throughout the album we are threated with more beautiful and catchy melodies and the album grows on you with every listen. The song "Down" is very catchy and gets stuck in your head immediately. My favorite track of the album is the title track "The Sombre Light Of Isolation". This 11 min long track shows great musicianship and it has enough variation to keep it interesting through the whole piece.

The album continues in the same pattern and it might get boring for some people. I think that the album is too long for it's own good. I rather listen to it in two sessions than one considering it's 66 min length. It's not a bad album by any means but it lacks in variation towards the last part of the album. The band definitely has potential and I think we will hear more great things from them in the future. Recommended for those who want a melancholic and relaxing metal album.

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]