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Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: The album of the year!

My favourite newly discovered band (well, it’s been a while already but in comparison, rather new discovery with their last album) hasn’t let me down. Just when you thought, there isn’t much new sound to discover, a totally awesome band like Into Eternity comes along. They do it all - Progressive Metal, Melodic Death metal. With their new singer, they have every available vocal range (all members sing as far as I know). Death metal Growls, Black Metal Screams, a beautiful clear voice and ultra-high Power screams. The virtuosity level of the guitar work is amazing! The drummer is good as well, but the triggered drums are the one thing I don’t like. Some more melodic drumming would be nice from time to time.

“Novus Inceptum” is the slow intro. If you know their last album, you know that it started ultra-blazingly-fast. “Severe emotional distress” has a misleading slow beginning, that soon gets hit by typical Into Eternity - fast. Death growls. Clear melody singing. Growled title. Clear refrain. Complex rhythmic patterns. Repeat. WOOHOOO!!!! What an opener! What a chorus! Emotional, heavy, sad, addicting. Guitar speed solo.
The ride continues with “Nothing”. A bit slower, still all the trademarks. Growls, clear refrains. Ultra-high screams from the new singer complete the experience. Double-bass patterns that leave you stunned. Guitar solos that finish you!
Time to relax? No, time for the best song of the album. “Timeless Winter” starts with some of the craziest and best-written arpeggios ever. Growls for the verse, clear for the refrain. We know that - but then the ultra-high Metal God-screams to finish the chorus! You just want to learn every rhythm change by heart. Slow melodies evolve into the arpeggios from the beginning.
Now a slow song? No, this album has no slow songs (Should have, they worked really well on the last album). “Out” has some of the best rhythm patterns of this album leading into the chorus. As always, the timing for the changes between growls and clear singing is perfect. Then, some Thrash Metal screaming for a change, some growls, and back to blast-speed again, with unimpressed guitar accords and Ripper-screams. “A past beyond memory”: More beautiful melodies, where do they come from? You feel the intensity, the songs sweat emotions - fear, agony, sadness. Still you don’t want to be sad, these songs are just too good for that! Then in the middle, another typical instrumental part. Only a variation of some part on the last album, but just variated so well! Finally, a moment for breathing. “Surrounded by Night” starts acoustic for introducing the melody line, the most beautiful of all the choruses on this album. Then the double-bass takes up the speed, the guitars join, instrumental part, chorus, a breakdown, then, slowly creeping out of the bass line, the guitars picking a variation of the melody line. The vocals joining in - build-up to the finale, then breakdown for the last seconds. “Eternal” has really angry growls in the beginning. Seconds of instrumental patterns, like beating machines, eternally telling of tears and sorrows. Amazing vocals before the last chorus.
The last three songs are just equally stunning. There isn’t a single song on this album that could not represent Into Eternity or this album; yet is weak or boring. Every song takes the same ingredients, but still manages to keep the excitement level high. The intensity level of this band leaves no room for breathing. You just have to hear it for yourselves!
For my rating, I have to say that their last album was a 10/10. It had some more acoustic parts and some more exciting drumming, so I rate this one a tiny bit lower: 9.5/10

You can visit their MySpace site to hear some songs, only one of the new album so far. The songs are also available as MP3s on the Century Media page.

Here is “Severe Emotional Distress” to listen to directly: