Artist: In Aeternum
Country: Sweden
Label: Soulseller Records
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
In the wake of the greats of the genre such as Sacramentum, Dawn, Naglfar, Necrophobic and, above all, Dissection, countless other bands set sail on the same waters. This is, of course, a natural course of events; bands and musicians influence and inspire one another, and some will have deliberately sought to capitalise on the popularity of others. Whatever the motivation, among those ‘almost-but-not-quite-gods’, there were more than a few good bands in the mid-to-late 90s that were well worth a listen. Some of them even became modern cult classics, just like Vinterland for instance, others have, more or less, forever been lurking in the shadows such as Gates Of Ishtar, Unanimated, Lord Belial and In Aeternum.
By a strange twist of fate, those last four bands are all still active, or have returned to activity, and continue to enjoy mixed success. That’s not to say their music isn’t worth listening to, but although Dissection is now, if possible, even more popular than it was during Jon Nödtveidt’s lifetime, these bands still seem to have to settle for a place at the back of the class.
Despite this, In Aeternum returned to the fray with renewed energy and motivation. A welcome return. For me personally, In Aeternum’s first two albums in particular were always a welcome change from the musical onslaught I was immersed in at the time. And for me, it was a relief that it wasn’t Dissection, which I’d grown rather tired of back then because everyone was jacking off to it – something that has hardly changed.
On ‘…Of Death And Fire’ the band returns to the same line-up which recorded the last full-length album, ‘Dawn Of A New Aeon’ (Agonia Records, 2005), which also means that this new album is the first one in a quarter of a century. In between there were two EP’s in 2007 and 2014, but other than that, it was rather quiet because of motivational issues as well as health problems. But, listening to ‘…Of Death And Fire’ it is clear that the trio indeed is high on newfound energy.
As a whole, ‘…Of Death And Fire’ is a logical continuation of what they have been doing in the 90s and the first half of the 00s. A well-found balance between Melodic Death Metal and equally melodic Black Metal with enough emphasis on the guitars/riffs to prevent it going all too much into cheesy territories or towards Dissection copycat behaviour. In fact, the Dissection-comparison is only valid for the use of the two genres in equal measures. In Aeternum has never been the sort of band that has gone wild in terms of classic guitar leads and solos. In that regard, in case this might be your introduction to the band, In Aeternum is much closer to Unanimated and Lord Belial with a touch of later Belphegor.
In Aeternum still stands for honest and even quite modest melodic Blackened Death Metal (or Deathly Black Metal) in the right Swedish tradition. I’m afraid, though, that they will forever be stuck in the position they are in now, but that is not something to be ashamed for or to have to fight against. To me it is a honourable place in scene that, generally speaking, way too over-appreciated anyway. It’s rewarding to look below the surface a bit and find such album as ‘…Of Death And Fire’ that might not end in your year-end-lists, but still has a very strong entertainment value as well as giving you a glimpse into what solid Black/Death Metal is all about.
