AETERNUS - ... AND SO THE NIGHT BECAME (1998)

No, not Solitude Aeturnus, those guys are lame. And not AetUrnus, with a "U", those guys are Christian. I speak of AETERNUS from Norway, a lesser-known quasi-symphonic metal band with combat boots planted firmly in the realms of both black and death metal. This buried treasure was suggested to me by recent IC convert and drum wizard Mike J, and upon first listen (via YouTube) I was severely confused. This is a modern band, right? Why do their drums sound all flippity-floppity and organic? It sounds like an actual drumset being played...?
Ohhhhh I get it, this album is from 1998. That's a REAL drumset, not some Beat Detective'd out trigger-fest. Weird.
With my mindset corrected, I approached ... And So The Night Became anew, finding my visage immediately pummeled by an onslaught of unrelenting brutality the likes of which mankind has never known. But Aeternus is sublimely weird as well, throwing all kinds of lengthy string interludes and elven keyboard passages at you as well. It takes some balls to open your album with a 13 minute song, especially a song that contains no actual metal until 5 minutes in. But Aeternus possess just such testicular fortitude, and in fact appear to have brains to match. These guys hate Jesus, like to mix violins and shit with their blastbeats, and are not for the falsers. I approve.
Good call, Mike.

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