You can support Terra Relicta by donating! Please, do so, and thank you!
Band: Eternal Helcaraxe
Album title: In Times Of Desperation
Release date: 29 December 2017
Label: Naturmacht Productions
Tracklist:
01. Our Time In The Sun
02. End Of All Things
03. Kneel Before None
04. The Healer And The Cross
05. Bannow
06. From Seeds To Forest
07. In Times Of Desperation
08. One Journey
Eternal Helcaraxe released now one of those types of albums that you can put on repeat and listen to it without stopping! A New Year's gift for me, that joins several others with great mastery. This album features many layers, traditional black metal that progresses smoothly into the corners of atmospheric lined with haunting female vocals at many points and indulges in progressive black metal. It's a combination of the first works and the emotional yet aggressive atmosphere of recent years in eight epic tracks that run in 52:06 minutes. A long album? Yes! But believe me you can't feel the time passing by.
In Times Of Desperation is well arranged with considerable dynamics that is impossible to deny. This band has this kind of ability to refresh their music without falling out of black metal, but still mantaining their own unique style. They nicely implement their tracks with acoustic segments and synthesizers are put on very well, they blend in with other layers perfectly and these Irish guys can sprinkle and add glows of glory to their art, the guitars and rough vocals are put forward on the combative performance.
Their blazing energy and dexterity in the lyrics composition are still intact, if I compare them with their previous works. You can observe in all tracks, but I want to point out at the firsts two opening tracks, "Our Time In The Sun" and "End Of All Things". Between a feral aggressive edge, all tracks are epic works of art and that's shown through every single melody and chord. The fifth track, "Bannow", is an amazing melancholic tune with addition of brief but refined female vocals and it flows stunningly over nine minutes. This is one of those albums that grabs the listener from the very fiery start to the almost introspective end with the track named "One Journey".
What else can I say about Eternal Helcaraxe and In Times Of Desperation? Nothing, how to describe something sublime, you'll just have to give it a listen and make up your own conclusions! If you have not yet had the opportunity to listen to this album, please do it now and do not waste any time. All the tracks have been sublime to me, I've listened to this album more than ten times so far and I have not got sick or bored by it for a second. If I were to choose tracks I enjoyed with all my heart and soul, I would say: "Our Time In The Sun", "Bannow", "In Times Of Desperation" and "One Journey".
In Times Of Desperation is Eternal Helcaraxe' long awaited second full-lenght, following the debut, Against All Odds, which was released in 2012, before that the band which was founded back in 2003 released a couple of EPs. In Times Of Desperation will for sure appeal to all long-term fans of the band, but as well to those who are fans of mighty gods like Bathory, Emperor and Immortal. You understand right that these furious Irish men won me with the first note of this album. Prepare your shields and your swords and enter the rows of battle to win a fierce war of titans. Now let me hear the album once again because it has not been enough yet!
Review written by: Felin Frost
Rating: 10/10
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
