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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Treyharsh

Eternal Cycles

Review by Gary Hill

The metal on this album is brutal, and the vocals are extreme. It has some strong music on the set. The problem is, it's all too similar. It could really stand a mellower tune or two to break things up a little. After a while, it just starts to feel like endless pounding with little to no variance. Still, a lot of people just listen to a song or two at a time these days rather than full albums.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review
The King's Name
A spoken thing starts this. It sounds like it comes from a movie. From there the band drive out into some seriously fierce metal. The vocals take it into the extreme zone as this continues driving forward.
Hidden Strength
Another movie-type clip starts this. They launch out into more fierce extreme metal from there. This is pounding, ferocious and angry. The instrumental break on this is cool break from the complete intensity.
The Fur, The Reign, The Fall
Driving, screaming and so heavy, this isn't a big change from the two songs that preceded it.
Lust
I love the riff that opens this. While in some ways this isn't greatly changed, the cut somehow stands taller than the ones that came before. Everything just seems to gel better on this number.
The Inside, Pt. 1
The driving extreme metal on this is not a big change, either, but I love the bass sound on this, and some of the guitar riffs are really stellar. This is another that just seems to work better than others. The dropped back sections are so classy.
There's Snow in Hell
Another piece that sounds like it might be from a film starts this. The stomper screams out from there.
Agoraphobic
While this song is a powerhouse, the formula is starting to wear a little thin by this point. That said, the dropped back section does bring a bit of a respite from the stagnation. Also, when it's this fierce, how stagnant can it be?
Lonewolf
The introduction on this brings some variety. Starting with a mellow section, it works to a thrashy riff from there. While it largely turns toward the same stuff we've heard on every song so far once it gets to the song proper, there is almost a King Crimson angle to some of the guitar parts, making this stand out a bit.
Constantly Oppressed
This one doesn't manage to stand out as well as the last track did, feeling too much like the bulk of the music here. The monolithic nature is starting to wear thin at this point. That said, the instrumental break has some intriguing little twists and turns.
The Inside, Pt. 2
Angry and unrelenting, this really suffers from the lack of variety. Taken by itself this is at least as strong as everything else here. The problem is, by this point it sounds like one long song.
Eternal Cycles
Now, this cut does get a little variety, largely in the form of some spoken vocals at points. While it's not enough to really let this stand as tall as it could, it is welcome variety. Otherwise this is the same kind of fierce, screaming extreme metal as everything else here.
 
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