Customer Reviews

Beyond the Wandering Moon

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"Beyond the Wandering Moon" is the Aeternus' first studio full length album, a follow up to their extremely rare to find ep, "Dark Sorcery". "Dark Sorcery" is the band's classic first appearance, however, this album is a vast improvement in all areas including song writing, vocals, production, and so on. There is a greater similarity between "Beyond..." and "so the night became", therefore my suggestion is to pursue both these titles equally. Probably the most magnificant composition of "Beyond.." would be track 6, "vind", a gripping and enpowering tribute to one of the four most dear forces of nature. Guest backing vocals are provided by Svartlav and are a fitting antithesis to Ares' lower pitched roars. This album concludes with the typical Aeternus ending, an enchanting acoustic passage, entitled, "the Last Feast" which is technically a cover of a thousand year old celtic song. I emplore you to obtain this album....

A blizzard is conjured, a crystal sheet penetrating the darkness, glistening with strength. The strength of your ancestors, your people, as you and they become one with the Earth. You are a warrior, and you will die honourably, at peace with yourself and with your world. You will wait for the storms.

Ah, this is a beauty - one to which I can't hope to do justice with mere words. Ambient, pulsing rhythms reminiscent of a ship rocking on stormy seas. Folk-tinged melodies vary subtly against a blanket of white noise which dominates the CD. Rhythmically driven by the drums which throb broodingly in the background. Vocals aren't prominent either - deep, lengthy growls, adding an extra layer of darkness and rhythm to the music. The album closes with a reflective Celtic tune which is very aptly named "Celtic Harp Solo", having opened with an ominous piano piece. In addition, the production is excellent.

In a way similar to the very best of Burzum and Sacramentum, Aeternus succeed at disconnecting the listener and transporting them to an unexplored world with endless possibilities.

very few black metal and/or dark metal bands go down the road that Aeterus has paved. there is a beautiful piano introduction (track one)that begins this album. track two starts off with a bludgeoning riff and then slows the pace a little and has some instrumental bits to it for a few seconds. this is a beautiful sounding masterpiece that begs your attention. Amazon lists 10 tracks, but there are two bonus tracks on this disc. I wish there was a lyric sheet with this release. otherwise, I have no other minor complaints.

A very solid, individual album. While I certainly wouldn't call it "black metal" (the band calls themselves "dark metal"), it is certainly along the same lines, with the average lyric being a rather deep deathy growl, on occasions rising to shrieks. The atmosphere changes from song to song, and they actually play some songs in a major key, which I must say is a novelty with most of the "darker" metal. Definitely a solid buy for those looking for something different than your average black metal album, but still retaining the same rough feel. The celtic harp solo at the end is great touch too, I might add.