Review: “Celestial” by The Eternal

Following the success of their critically acclaimed album “Skinwalker” the return of Australian-Finnish Dark Progressive Gothic Metal band The Eternal with almost half an hour of new music musing on themes of sorrow, loneliness, sadness and life holds much promise. The line up that brought us that album continue here with mastermind Mark Kelson on guitar and vocals, having been the only ever present of the group that formed from the ashes of Cryptal Darkness in 2003 after a decade of destruction. Guitarist Richie Poate (Dreadnaught, Nefariym) joined in 2018 with both musicians hailing from Melbourne, a Helsinki connnection meaning they’re joined by bassist Niclas Etelävuori (ex-Amorphis, Flat Earth) and drummer Jan Rechberger (Amorphis). After twenty three years creating melancholic atmospheres, doom-laden heaviness and progressive depth the anticipation is of more beautifully bleak sounds…

The only real issue with with “Celestial” comes in the first couple of minutes with introduction piece “Absence Of Light” because it feels distinctively out of place. Setting the scene,  meloncholic synths create the atomsphere before transcending into programming accompanied by a spoken word. Where it falls down is that by the conculsion you get the feeling that the record is going to then explode into some kind of Progressive Metalcore track and in point of fact, the opposite is true. Remove the introduction piece completely and that sense is gone. Fortunately after that bump in the road the record picks up with “Celestial Veil“, a song with a huge sing-a-long chorus of aching beauty crafted from Scandinavian meloncholia with intricate Progressive Metal riffs and a lush, vibrant solo. A powerful statement piece that surpasses six minutes, this piece of granduer is dark and beautiful, distantly echoing the sentiment of bands like Swallow The Sun and Anathema. Industrial tinged Gothic sounds are poured into “It All Ends” to give more depth and texture, the lyrical narrative carrying the heavy weight of emotion on its shoulders. Another bold and brave peice of gargantuan proportions, this one stirs the soul, giving the discerning lister pause for thought as they stare into the middle distance. After listening to this you may even find yourself pondering what life means when you’re a single grain of sand on the beach of humanity with so much outside of your control.

A little less intricate and a little heavier sonically “Bleeding Into Light” finds the space between a blink and a tear, equal parts catharsis and torture as its burns with yearning, it has at its heart another dark, rich melody with a satisfyingly crunchy guitar tone to accomany the chorus. The solo is utterly spellbinding, a moment of majesty that shines like a chink of light through the black clouds while the layered vocals that follow it work increadibly well. There is an almost ethnic quality to “Casting Down Shadows“, a track laced with programming that gives Arabian nights vibes, bolstered by stompy rhythm guitars with a slick and stylish keyboard solo throwning back to the glory days of Rick Wakeman. Another which is emotionally engaging it finds the protagnist of the story confronting a few old ghosts to find a route to remain. Building from a quieter, more melodic place “Everlasting MMXXVI” reaches a more aggressive mid section with some chunky riffs before fading once more into Everygrey like territory with a melodic solo as it reaches its conclusion. “Celestial” feels like half of a very good album and leaves you wondering just what might have been if the band had had the opportunity to commit more to tape here [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Absence Of Light
2. Celestial Veil
3. It All Ends
4. Bleeding Into Light
5. Casting Down Shadows
6. Everlasting MMXXVI

“Celestial” by The Eternal is out 16th January 2026 via Reigning Phoenix Music