antiMusic.com: Ered - Night of Eternal Doom Review

Ered - Night of Eternal Doom

by Matt Hensch

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We aficionados of classic death/black metal know the bullsh*t when we see it. "Night of Eternal Doom" is not the bullsh*t. Ered, an enduring Spanish band invoking Satan for quite some time now, is the creator whose touch brought the album to life under the spells of classic death/black metal bands covering an impressive spectrum of styles. The one group I'm reminded of more than any throughout the sixty-minute slaughter is Necrophobic, specifically "Darkside," when a black metal touch wedged its way into the picture. That era of Necrophobic's excellent discography was interesting enough to have credence, and Ered captures that same sort of death/black metal magnificently here, be it intentionally or by chance. Whatever the case, "Night of Eternal Doom" has plenty of terror to go around.

Coming back to the Necrophobic association, the influences of "Darkside" and its death/black metal texture are profound. The start of "Nocturnal Revelations," for instance, explodes into a frenzied black metal burst led by a lead tremolo riff that has Necrophobic written all over it. This cold, tumultuous style is done with the acumen needed to make this kind of thing work out without turning into a shell of redundancy. Ered sounds like its own support system while throwing in obvious nods to various bands and styles across the death/black metal spectrum, though that's sort of a given at this point. There are more melodic moments akin to Unanimated and Dissection crammed into the fury of blast beats and typical death and black metal riffs which manage to sound fresh despite having little in the way of originality.

Then again, with this kind of thing, innovation isn't the X factor, if done under the proper care. The variety shown throughout the album-from "Darkside" worship to creepy guitar notations in the vein of old Mayhem-is incredible for what Ered attempts, and the instrumental performances are tight and crisp. The cover track ending "Night of Eternal Doom" is needless after sitting through nearly an hour of death/black metal, but it's no biggie. Ered is a nice find for those craving the cold and abominable ways of Necrophobic and others. "Night of Eternal Doom" pitches few surprises, but it's fantastic for what it is, and certainly does not smell like the bullsh*t.

Ered - Night of Eternal Doom
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