ALBUM REVIEW: In Light, In Dark, In Hate – Eternal Armageddon

Since their debut E.P, Her Forlorn Monsoon, first saw the light of day back in 2011, Bangladesh’s ETERNAL ARMAGEDDON have gone on to be one of the shining lights of the black metal scene in their homeland. Gradually shifting their sound from a tight and slick brand of melodic black metal to sharp and caustic blackened thrash, the band have gone from strength to strength. Now, over 5 years since the release of their impressive Black Thrash Bastards demo, ETERNAL ARMAGEDDON are back with their debut album, In Light, In Dark, In Hate, and album that could very well see this band garner acclaim overseas.

Black Thrash Bastards is a very strong opener, with tight guitar hooks, primal drumming and shrill vocals providing a sharp and caustic sound right off the bat. Blending fierce, black metal leads and crushing thrash rhythms, this proves to be a decent introduction that sets the listener up for the rest of the album quite well. Hate Reincarnated, with its dense guitar hooks and steady, D-beat inspired percussion, is a shorter and more focused affair – though it retains some of the chaotic elements and classic extreme metal sound that made the previous track impressive. Hazam the Black Reaper, a noticeably more melodic and powerful track with a few hints of classic heavy metal thrown into the mix, and sees ETERNAL ARMAGEDDON begin to lean into their thrash influences far more, especially when it comes to the guitar work. The vocals provide an abrasive, grating edge to the sound that actually works extremely well at giving this song a vicious and driven sound.

In Light, In Dark, In Hate‘s title track builds on the strengths of the previous track, and is again a much livelier and aggressive song, with a great, classic black metal sound and some frenzied, dancing guitar lines that are more imaginative than what was on offer on the previous tracks. It’s a great change of pace with an eclectic sound that stands head and shoulders above most of the tracks on this record. No Lord Above is another brief, yet brutally brilliant slab of visceral, rabid black metal with a few thrash flourishes peppered throughout it. It’s a much more ferocious track, with the guitars, bass and drums building a thick, oppressive sound, and the vocals adding a savage, primitive quality to it.

Obey to None takes the monstrous, fast approach of the previous song and expands on it further, giving this song a feral, dark sound that it’s hard not to love. There’s plenty of robust, rhythmic sections that give this song a monolithic sound, acting as an excellent backdrop to some sharp, slick leads and acerbic vocal deliveries, which help to give this album one of its strongest numbers. Satanic Whispers is a solid, but unremarkable, way to end In Light, In Dark, In Hate, with the songwriting stripped back to a far more spartan, punky style that incorporates acidic vocals and tight guitar playing, giving it a minimalist, but powerful feel. It’s a slightly underwhelming, though dependable, way to bring this album to its conclusion.

Although In Light, In Dark, In Hate initially starts out on shaky ground, it quickly gathers momentum and starts to be more confident with the songwriting. When ETERNAL ARMAGEDDON are at their best they produce fast and chaotic music with frenzied guitar hooks and it’s hard to find fault with it. However, when the band focuses on slower, mid-tempo compositions, the music loses a lot of the venom that makes this band sound so impressive. Overall, this is a solid record with one foot firmly planted in an old school sound whilst maintaining enough rawness to give it a killer, dirty edge.

Rating: 7/10

In Light, In Dark, In Hate is out now via self-release. 

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