INTO ETERNITY – The Scattering Of Ashes

The long-awaited successor to (there is no better way to describe it) their Progressive Melodic Death Power Thrash masterpiece, Buried In Oblivion, has arrived… and again Into Eternity have a new singer. It seems the Canadians can’t get a steady line-up going. One wishes they would now since their new vocalist, Stu Block, is the best they’ve ever had. This guy is absolutely incredible, he indeed must span several octaves!

Stylistically, they have not changed much, so everybody who was satisfied with their earlier releases can just order this one, too, although they increased the Death content slightly. They still mix almost every style of Metal one can come up with into their music, and it is completely impossible to characterize The Scattering Of Ashes, unless you want to list a whole army of bands.

One such example would go a little like this: “Severe Emotional Distress,” the opening track, camouflages as a simple Hard Rock song for 15 seconds, before it breaks into a Death part that would do Chuck Schuldiner honor -– and when the short melodic part interrupts the speed attack, it is remarkably Control Denied-esque. The chorus could be from the last Scar Symmetry album, or Soilwork, it is simply awesome. But then the In Flames-like guitar melody gives the track another unexpected turn.

It continues like this from track to track throughout the album… the band blends in Progressive elements with Techno Thrash and Death sections. There’s Traditional Metal screams like in “Timeless Winter,” that do not contradict the break-laden nature of the compositions and stand side-by-side with Black Metal nags and Death growls, much like a Thrashy, less melancholic version of Opeth. Blast attacks battle it out with Neo-Classical guitar harmonies like in “A Past Beyond Memory,” and acoustic guitars with Alternative harmonies can start a song like “Surrounded By Night“ before the Gothenburg Death Metal style breaks through, and a Watchtower-like intermezzo gives way to an Iron Maiden meets Amorphis part – and in the end Arcturus raise their sweet head.

Above all comes sheer celestial melodies, either from Stu Block or from Tim Roth’s guitar that hold your attention tight, and the unleashed power of Thrash combined with musical virtuosity just leave you with no time to rest. This is by far no easy listening, but one of the most satisfying 40 minutes of music Metal fans will be able to witness in this new millennium — if the listener takes the time.

If the right parts are combined, this is one of the Top Ten Power Metal albums of 2006, maybe the best Death Metal release of the last 12 months, and can compete with the leading Melodic Metal bands for this year’s title… all the while proving to be a Progressive masterpiece that is not to be missed.

The Scattering Of Ashes is one of the highlights of the year… buy it, and you’ll find it won’t leave your CD player for quite a while. Is it better than the unbeatable Buried In Oblivion? YES! It just can’t get any better… or can it?