ALBUM REVIEW: Embers Of War – Eternity’s End
On their third album, Embers Of War, the German outfit ETERNITY’S END continue to double down on the ferocious power metal sound they’ve been developing on their previous releases. Rhythm guitars, bass and drums at breakneck speeds with melodic soaring vocals and a flurry of lead interludes provide the album’s solid backbone, bolstered significantly by a bevy of excellent performances across the board. It’s a shame then that there just isn’t a bit more meat on those bones, as Embers Of War begins to grate towards the end of its runtime.
Musically, ETERNITY’S END lean heavily on the tried and true formulae of European power metal. They incorporate the speed metal edge of early days HELLOWEEN and BLIND GUARDIAN but with elements of 00s bands mixed in, bringing to mind the dramatics of HEAVENLY (not least because singer Iuri Sanson is a dead ringer for an angrier version of Benjamin Sotto) and earlier RHAPSODY OF FIRE, thanks to the heavy neoclassical influences. A lesser band of musicians would struggle to pull off such a lightning-fast mix of styles, but from the opening fury of Dreadnought it’s clear that ETERNITY’S END boast some serious technical chops.
Looking at the personnel involved however, that’s perhaps no surprise; featuring two alumni from NECROPHAGIST’s Epitaph album, band-leader and guitarist Christian Muenzner has created a surprising through-line between the two bands thanks to their extreme precision-picked performances, even if stylistically they couldn’t be more different. Indeed, Muenzner and fellow guitarist Justin Hombach’s leads are often mesmerising, with a number of Embers of War’s biggest highlights coming from winding licks and spiralling sweeps; the incredible picking and phrasing of Call Of The Valkyries’ middle eight section and the neoclassical nightmare that begins Arcturus Prime are certainly impressive and flashy enough to make Luca Turilli blush.
Yet, as fantastic as these moments of guitar virtuosity are, it’s also telling that they are the key standout segments of the album. Much of Embers Of War‘s song-writing feels less captivating, with songs colouring well within the lines of power-metal-by-numbers. None of the material here is bad per se, but there is definitely a strong feeling that the songs exist only to be anchored by Muenzner and Hombach’s admittedly impressive solos. The performances of the other musicians involved are equally strong, in particular the merciless rhythm support provided by drummer Hannes Grossmann, but few of the tracks are built around their performances as much as they are the guitarists’. There are moments of course, such as Linus Klausenitzer’s unexpected bass interlude on the album closer, but for better or for worse, Embers Of War is dominated by lead guitar.
Amidst the blur of the overall album, there are a number of genuine standout tracks. Hounds Of Tindalos strikes a great balance between speed metal riffs and symphonically layered choruses, and album closer Embers Of War is a nine minute plus epic that sees the band flex their creative muscles and construct a song with every element of their musical repertoire on display. In isolation, there is a decent amount of high-quality material to connect with, but the overall album is let down by beiger tracks like Shaded Heart that simple fade into the background.
Embers Of War in many ways feels like a record of untapped potential. It’s clear the musicians involved are truly excellent performers, but the song-writing itself simply doesn’t live up to the admittedly lofty standards of their chops. ETERNITY’S END have put out an enjoyable enough album which fans desperate for another fix of power metal will definitely enjoy, but for everyone else Embers Of War is more of a mixed bag. With a bit more focus on songs over solos, Embers Of War could have been something really special. Until then, it’s hopefully a stepping stone to a creative zenith for the band.
Rating: 6/10
Embers Of War is set for release on November 26th via Prosthetic Records.
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