Music review: Samael - Eternal (1999)

So, the maligned Eternal. Don't get me wrong, it certainly isn't their best and I'd definitely love another Ceremony of Opposites, but the hate it gets from being the inflection point in Samael's softening is misplaced in my opinion. I mean, come on, it's no Cold Lake!

Clearly continuing the line of thought introduced on Passage then expanded upon by the Exodus EP, Eternal proudly showcases the peak (and logical end) of that path: unapologetic min-maxing of catchiness, danceability and gothic languor at the expense of everything dark and raw they used to stand for.

Described this way, the backlash from some (most?) fans was almost predictable, despite the smooth transition spread over a few years and releases, but even those people should recognize how well they succeeded in achieving their vision; and yes, I use the word "vision" because there isn't an ounce of selling-out to be found here.

You'd have to be dead and buried inside to not at least bob your head while listening to this. They streamlined, polished the sound and simple compositions to the utmost, seamlessly adding electronica to the recipe and giving it a fitting production without ending up sounding "radio sterile" in any way (something that can't be said about the follow-up Reign of Light, to be honest).

The result? Definitely good with only one criticism to give: a bit long considering the lack of variety, I'd cut the last two redundant tracks to get a much tighter whole.