The Eternal: "Kartika" heavier and more melodic than ever
Tobias
Australian Melodic Doom Metal mongers The Eternal are celebrating their tenth anniversary in the music business with the release of their long-awaited new album “Kartika”. Ending a three-year hiatus, the record has now finally been slated for a release in November of this year and will be published by renowned and befriended label Firebox. Admittedly, this only relates to the Finnish market, with Europe to follow shortly after and deals for the rest of the world being negotiated as we speak. Even though details on the music are still relatively scarse and the band are yet to make teasers and first tracks from “Kartika” available, it has been confirmed that the artwork was done by Diego Maniscalco at Unspire and that the first pressing will come accompanied by a bonus disc containing demos and unreleased material. Adding this second CD to the regular “Kartika”-tracks means that fans can look out for a total of 95 minutes of new music by The Eternal.
Recording and producing “Kartika” proved to be a time-consuming and demanding job. A total of 17 demos was recorded prior to entering the studio and singer Mark Kelson was selected to head over to Estonia to assist in mixing the album. The result has been described by The Eternal as both a return to their roots and to “heavier” sounds and to even more catchy elements: “I think they can expect something different from what we have done previously. There is still all the elements of melody and emotion, but maybe on this album we have taken the melodic elements of the band further. Particularly with the vocals, we have alot of vocal layering and harmonies going on”, Kelson explained in an interview for Australian Online Metal Mag “Metal Obsession”, “As the release gets closer I’m a little nervous but I feel confident in the fact I have written songs close to my heart and the whole songwriting process was very natural - I did not go into the process with any pre-conceived idea’s. But at the end of the day, its still in the realms of dark, melodic and emotive metal:”
With their third album now merely awaiting publication, The Eternal have established themselves as a force to behold of. While typical line-up issues prevented them from really pushing through for a while and they were even listed as a band “no longer associated with Firebox” on the record company’s website for a while, the group has managed to return from difficult times stronger than ever. “Kartika” looks set to further refine their style between the accessible melodies and dreamy moods of The Mission and Field of the Nephilim, while adding the emotional confusion and distorted rawness of formations like My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost – a potent and irresistible cocktail.
Leading up to the release of “Kartika”, The Eternal are making a self-produced documentary on the recording process available on their MySpace site. By now, two volumes have been published, with five more to follow until November.
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Firebox Records