Customer Reviews

Eternal

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This has got to be one of the most unique black metal bands out there. This is not true techno mixed with black metal like And Oceans, but there are some electronic elements heard in this music. Also, you'll find keyboards used like crazy, making this a very atmospheric album. The vocals are certainly that of black metal, but not as extreme as what you would hear by Cradle of Filth or any other of those type of bands.

More about each song... you'll feel like you're watching the exciting end of a movie or fighting the last boss of a video game. Especially tracks 2 and 6 sound like that. Each song is only about 4 and a half minutes long, but trust me, an epic would not be able to be written for music like this.

There really is no band to compare this music to. If you can combine Tristania's "World of Glass" album with keyboards like in Stratovarius's song "Lord of the Wasteland", you might come something close to Samael.

So exactly how good is this album? I find this comparable to And Oceans so... here we go. On the And Oceans CD "Allotropic...", we hear 8 songs with on and off blastbeats and then an all-techno song at the end of the album. Each song is 5 to 6 minutes. On their CD "Cypher", it is more death metal with some techno elements. Songs on Cypher that use electonic elements to replace keyboards is the best I can come up with to give you an idea of how good the techno + black metal combination is in Samael's hands.

Also, this would be an extremely good CD for beginners to black metal - it was for me. This is a great band to get use to the growling without yet giving up the keyboards. After getting use to this sound, you can move to serious black metal like God Dethroned. Other recommendations for starters to the genre would be Summoning and Rotting Christ.

Overall this is a great CD for anyone, even if you don't even want to get into black metal and just like the atmospheric part of this album. Do me a favor and please say if my review helped you or not - all it takes is a little click if you are a member of amazon! Thanks!

I think Samael took that "change the style of our music every album" too seriously. They've changed way too much to this from "Passage", and it's not quite for the better. There are lots of clean vocals on it, and there is a more techno pop beat to it, but that's not the bad part. The production however makes the guitars less noticeable, and less heavy, and ti was guitars were what made that band heavy. Songs like "Together" and "Us" are love songs......not quite what I was looking for when reading the lyrics in a new Samael cd. Though, when I listen to the cd, it sounds great, especially when I believe that it is not Samael. It's not their best stuff, and I am one of the few who does not completey like the new change....it could be better. However, when they played their new songs live, it rocked, that's because the guitars were loud, the vocals were heavy and all that, if it were recorded like that, I would rate this album much higher. I don't dislike this album, don't get me wrong, in fact, the more I hear it, the more I'm starting to like it, it just needs more time. But, I will never truly believe that "Us" or "Together" came from the same guys who do "Baphomet's Throne" or "Jupiterian Vibe". It's hard to believe that this is the same band who once wrote the classic "Blood Ritual". Oh well, I still love this band......and the cd is worth the purchase if you are a diehard Samael fan.

Fancy that! I'm writing a review for 'Samael', a group who, until a week or so ago, I'd never heard, nor cared to. You see, they fall into a musical classification Black / Death Metal - which I really don't care for. Or do they? Yes there are bands on the fringes of Black / Death metal that I like such as Tristania and TSOTB but let's face it, except for the male growling they are sort of Gothic, almost Operatic. They may even evolve that way like Therion and Within Temptation. But Samael is closer to (but not that close) to Black Metal, however one could swear that in this album they are trying to make a transition to another genre. I believe so even more after listening to 'Passages', their reputed "best album" which is like I expected 'Eternal' to be like. I like 'Eternal' much better, it being less extreme, more mainstream. I did like the extra CD though, a classical rendition of 'Passages'.
I came across this CD quite by accident. I was listening to about a dozen different CDs and placing most in a reject pile after playing a couple songs on each one and expected to do the same with this CD, but the first two songs weren't bad, which necessitated listening to the next, which were even better, then of course the rest of the album and here I am, writing a review, the album is that good! I am really impressed, this is music of substance, a waterfall of harmonious sound. Fans of extreme music may not consider this to be extreme enough but affectionados of all metal types, including heavy metal should like this. I can feel similarities with some of Megadeth and Metallicas's work though certainly more melodic.In fact the music is quite melodic with good use, in various places, of piano and other keyboards, background singing including a choir, strong drums and guitar, bells and, I think, even a harp. The production is generally lush but occasionally the music has an industrial or electronic feel.
All tracks are good but my personal favorites were 'Together', 'The Cross', 'Ways', 'Supra Karma', 'Being' and 'Nautilus and Zepplin'. I strongly urge anyone who reads this review to buy this album.

Samael are amazing, especially on this album, what an epic trip. When you play this cd you are no longer on Earth, you have entered the realm of Samael's dark imaginations. If you want heavy music that sounds like it is going somewhere and that can allow you to relax and explore it further, then look no further, only turn to ETERNAL. I must say that CEREMONY OF OPPOSITES was always my favourite, but this has grown on me much more. Amazing vocal use on the song 'Together'. But Ceremony is still my favourite in a different perspective. It is very hard to choose from 2 totally different and very unique albums. And their album Passage is very similar to Dimmu Borgir, only more interesting drum patterns than Dimmu, though Dimmu use simpler drum patterns to retain a sound of ancint battle feelings. It is all relevent, and unique in its own way. Dimmu Borgir are very talented just like Samael, but I am more drawn towards Samael for a reason which I am not even sure of. I think it's because they released 'Ceremony Of Opposites'.

This cd gives me goosebumps when I listen to it, that is how amazing it is. You have to hear it to beleive it. Great use of synth. Just buy it, you won't regret it. This album should appeal to fans of Industrial bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Front Line Assembly, Noise Unit, and to Black/Death Metal fans who like new Hypocrisy, Dimmu Borgir, Amorphis, Sigh and should also appeal to fans of new Mortiis and to anyone with an open mind.

The song 'Being' and the intro/outro to 'Radiant Star' sound very much like something Japanese Black Metal band SIGH would have done on their album Imaginary Sonicscape (a highly recommended CD from an excellent Japanese Black Metal band with the guts to do what no other Black Metal band has ever even though about, except Samael, and that is to introduce a jazzy type of tune into a heavy and dark genre like Black Metal. Absolutely mind blowing stuff). It is not constantly jazzy, just touches of jazz are present, and the same goes with SIGH. Once you hear that SIGH cd you won't know what planet those guys came from, but anyway read my SIGH review to learn more.

There is also a certain sound and atmosphere on this Samael cd that I also found present on the soundtrack to CHAOS LEGION the PS2 game. And no other Black Metal band has ever explored this dimension of sound.

Samael has how should I put it, progressed to a new level which current Black Metal bands were afraid to climb because they were scared of falling. And I must also add that the trademark guitar work present on Ceremony Of Opposites is present time to time. What a grand album this has turnerd out to be. It must be heard, and most importantly it must be heard from an unbiased perspective. Otherwise you will fall into the pit of "Big deal, electronics + Black Metal". But you see, this band has not only combined electronic sounds into their music, they have also accomplished a masterpiece at the same time.

I UNDERSTAND MUSICAL GROWTH AND HOPE MORE PEOPLE CAN GIVE THIS NEW HYBRID FORM OF BLACK METAL A CHANCE. EVEN IF YOU DON'T GIVE IT A CHANCE, IT WILL NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT SAMAEL HAVE MATURED MUSICALLY AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW.

THE GATES OF HELL HAVE BEEN OPENED FOR INDUSTRIAL FANS,
AND OPENED EVEN FURTHER FOR BLACK METAL FANS. BUT JUST BECAUSE THE GATES ARE OPENED WIDER, IT DOESN'T MEAN EXISTING FANS ARE RESTRICTED TO LEAVE.

SAMAEL FOREVER.........

Was my review helpful in any way at all, if so please click yes below. I found Matt Stoessel's review helpful, because I have never heard of 'And Oceans'. I'll probably look into buying one of their albums now.

Ok, I have read all of the reviews so I will keep this short. I have been a Samael fan since 1992. Yes, this album is VERY different from Blood Ritual, and Ceremony of Opposites, but if you call yourself a true Samael fan BUY THIS ALBUM. Everyone goes through changes. Think of how much your music taste has changed in 10 years. This is an unreal album like all of the rest.

.. simply because most of them are too stubborn to accept the fact that bands progress in the direction that *they* feel is best. I have Ceremony of Opposites; it is indeed an awesome opus by our metal friends, Samael. I have Passage (including the Xytras version); it was a step from Ceremony..., but yet it still received high reviews and marks by the metal community. Exodus, despite being an EP, also was given good marks, but I cannot comment on this CD since I don't own it. And then we come to Eternal, Samael's latest opus. I am not a music writer/critic, but I do know what I like and dislike to hear, and Eternal is something I definitely enjoy listening to. The cold, mechanical feel that Passage delivered with its drum machine is present once again, something a live drummer could never perform. A lot of people complain about the distortion effect present in the songs, and several think that the live performances of these songs will be better, as the distortion cannot be recreated onstage; I say props to Samael for being daring and not conforming to the status quo of making repetitive, vapid music. There are elements in this album that -- if they were taken out -- would make it sound a great deal akin to Passage, except lyric-wise. The addition of love songs (namely "Together," a song I like a lot, and "Us," a song that is good, but not so much as "Together") and techno-pop beats (a number of the songs hit this category) to their repetoire doesn't mean that Samael has fallen into the trap of today's metal bands that have dropped from the graces of their fans. It simply means that instead of relying on one topic for their inspiration, they are expanding to include more than redundant, oft-outplayed subjects (namely religion). Thus, I give this album five stars. Samael has not changed for the good or the bad; they have evolved into something that allows them to express their thoughts -- at that moment in time -- in the venue that they find best.

Forget all comparisons with other metal genres. This sounds like nothing else. Darkness, light, the majesty of space, life, death, it's all here. If you like electronic, rock or metal and have an open mind you will hear something amazing.

Much more diverse than the full length album before, Passage
Often very mysterious but uplifting and with energy.

If you want to escape reality for a while, put on a pair of good headphones and listen to this fusion of sounds...

It seems that most everyone agrees 'Supra Karma' is this album's strongest song, and I'd have to agree... it is EXTREMELY dense, but all of the parts complement each other so well. And really, who can complain about a guitar that sounds as monstrous as the one on this track?
'Infra Galaxia' comes in a VERY close second place, though... I first heard this song on a Century Media video collection, and the computer-generated artwork for the video (based loosely on the cover of 'Eternal') was fantastic. Again, the song itself is a pure wall of sound, blending that distinctive Samael combination of synthed choir patches, crunchy guitars, growling vocals and big synthesized drums... not exactly a big jump in style from the rest of the album (indeed, the songs all sound very similar, which will be a negative point for some), but it just happens to work so well that there's no room to complain. And although I usually don't like death metal-styled vocals, there is (as I said previously) SO much going on with all of the other instruments that an actual vocal melody would be just suffocated. Despite that, it's interesting that this album is quite commercial, at least as commercial as classical gothic techno-metal-opera can get! And if it makes the songs more memorable, all the better (and in my opinion, these songs are more memorable than the much harder-edged, stripped-down material on Passage, which, although still good, is more stereotypically death metal).
Recommended for those who like drama with their destruction.

The cover of the album gives a great impression of what the music sounds like. Melodramatic operatic music that reaches for the stars yet manages to stay this side of overindulgent and pretentious...just! Think of 'Muse' having a love affair with 'Rammstein' and throw in equal parts 'Enigma' and 'Opeth' and it comes close to expressing the pompous but lovely musical scope this album presents.

'Karma Supra', easily the album's best song, combines frantic jumbling synth lines, a throttling driving drum beat and out of the world guitar work for a song that will just blow you straight out of this world. Almost as impressive is 'I' which mixes euphoric inducing synth effects with pompous guitar distortion and 'The Cross' with juxtaposed classical pinao sounds and black metal guitar distortion that somehow works. 'Nautillus & Zepplin' is pure sombre industralized goth opera and 'Being' for some reason tries to combine jazz piano into the mix that ALMOST works but sounds very odd.

'Together' and 'Us' are the closest 'Eternal' comes to poppy love songs, but even then the dramatics and dynamics poured into these tracks make them anything BUT mere pop sludge.

Despite rating this album 5 stars, I still have a few problems with it. My main problem is with the vocalist's voice. For a start, you can hardly hear him at ALL over the wall of sound until at least the 3rd track, and even then it gets obscured often. Secondly, he's a typical death metal singer, which means that altho he can croak really well, he can't sing, well he sort of attempts to do so in 'Together' and 'Us' but tracks such as 'Year Zero' and 'The Cross' which could have really done with a strong operatic voice, are kind of ruined melodically by the croaking. Lyrically too, although the themes are very interesting, (very bhuddish and spiritual really) they try to string too many long words together and combined with their less than perfect grasp of English can make the lyrics quite awkward in places.

However, musically the album MORE than compensates, in my opinion is beyond perfect, the power, pretension, the beautifully explosive sonic scope of the whole album is mind blowing.

Hauntingly beautiful, it draws you in to a place where your soul finds life and a burning desire for what it can give. Samel is a powerful dark band that dilvers a style that needs to be recongized and praised. Eternal is one of their best albums.