SATYRIAN – Eternitas

Satyrian’s Eternitas is an album that has been in the works for a while, with recording having originally begun way back in 2002 and concluding in April 2005. No, Tom Scholz had nothing to do with this epic in the making, unless he changed his name.

Satyrian is seven-person (five guys, two gals) Gothic Metal band, made up of members of other known and lesser-known European Gothic bands, so although Eternitas is the first album under the Satyrian name, the individual members have lots of experience with this sort of music.

Eternitas follows the Gothic Metal blueprint fairly closely: heavenly, sweet-sounding female vocals interspersed with “clean” and “harsh” male vocals, orchestral passages, classical instrumentation wedged amongst metallic guitar riffs and rapid-fire drumming, and an epic, serious air with very slight dashes of pretentiousness and importance.

Eternitas gets off to a strong start, with five very good songs right off the bat: the title track, “Invictus,” “Feel The Rush,” “My Legacy,” and “The Dark Gift” all manage to impress with their strong melodies, effective riffs, catchy choruses, and good, dynamic trade-offs between the male and female vocalists. Unlike other bands that play this style, the “harsh” male vocals here are easy to understand, making these songs more interesting. Five songs in a row, five winners.

However, Eternitas consists of twelve tracks. After “The Dark Gift,” the quality takes a dip, with the following songs mostly not measuring up to the standards of the first handful. That’s not to say the second half of the album is a write-off, but some of the latter songs aren’t that memorable and smack of filler. The best of this particular bunch is “Bridge Of Death,” which manages to create an effective Olde Tyme Medieval Metal atmosphere, thanks to the combination of Classical instrumentation, a good sense of story, and effective delivery of some whimsical lyrics. “Fall From Grace” helps regain some lost momentum with its quick, driving rhythm, but Eternitas may have benefited from a shuffling of the track order, using the stronger songs to prop up the weaker ones.

Eternitas is well-played, produced, and composed: these are some very talented musicians. Musically there is a lot going on, but it’s all very accessible and easy to get into; Eternitas is almost a “commercial” Gothic album, if such a beast exists It’s also more energetic and upbeat than lots of other albums of its ilk, meaning Eternitas wouldn’t be the Gothic album of choice to put on when ready to write depressive poetry by candlelight.

If the second half of Eternitas lived up to its first half, Satyrian may have had a great Gothic Metal album on their hands. Although it peaks a bit too soon, what they ended up with is still quite good overall, especially for fans of this genre.