Skinwalker is the seventh offering from The Eternal. Having formed in Melbourne a couple of decades ago, they currently spread their lineup between Melbourne and Helsinki, Finland. Amoprhis alumni Jan Rechberger and Niclas Etelavouri have joined the band since 2018’s Waiting for the Endless Dawn.
Ten-minute opener “Abandoned by Hope” has all the elements to expect across the album, with variances between light melodies and dark growls, which are provided by another Amorphis name, Tomi Jousten. There are various guests throughout the album including Kreator’s Sami Yli-Sirniö. There are a lot of stylistic similarities to Opeth throughout the album.
“Deathlike Silence”, the first single released from the album is more of a radio-friendly bop, with nods to bands like The Tea Party. This catchy number lets Mark Kelson let his gothic melodic style of vocals shine.
Throughout the album he keeps a light style of melody, occasionally crossing that over with dark growls. He and Richie Poate trade some impressive rallies of guitarwork throughout the album, with Poate being particularly impressive in their live show. “Under The Black” highlights some of this guitar work well. The next track “Tempation’s Door” is a brief one-minute affair of spookiness which leads into “The Iconoclast” another ten-minute track and probably the one that shows what the band does the best, ebbing and flowing between the light and dark elements.
Closer “Shattered Remains” once again tours through these parts of the sound of The Eternal, with some impressive drum work from Jan Rechberger with some haunting whispers being heard in the background.
The nine-track album, put out through Reigning Phoenix Music, clocks in at just over an hour. The slow build on some tracks makes it a bit of a long listen, but you can see a lot of skill throughout the album. With multiple tracks hitting the ten-minute mark, there was probably some room to cut here and there, but I don’t think that is the style for this band.
In their time The Eternal have supported bands like HIM, Opeth, Katatonia and many others. They have recently been travelling through Australia on a dual album launch alongside Dreadnaught. If that is a sound you’re interested in, definitely check this one out.
The Eternal: Facebook
Release Year: 2024
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Category: Album
Country: Australia/Finland
Reviewed by Daniel Boyle