My problem with a lot of Metal bands that incorporate an ethnic element into their music is that for the most part it is lip service. Most bands that profess to have Eastern musical influences in particular do nothing different than run of the mill symphonic bands, they just use different instrument samples. Obviously there are bands that take the incorporation of ethnic sounds very seriously and do extensive research into the rules of eastern music rather than forcing it into what is essentially a Western classical construct.
To my ears Aeternam, while very accomplished in their use of Middle Eastern instruments and samples, are still trying to force their sound through the same old melodic/symphonic confines. Though to the casual listener this is not going to matter in the least.
The immediate influences that come to mind are obviously Nile and to a certain extent Opeth and even In Flames. That is to say that the band’s Death Metal is as Melodic and well constructed as it is riff heavy.
Track one, ‘Ars Almadel’ is a slow intro that seems to have come off a sample CD with a riff tacked onto it to build a bit of atmosphere before it crashes into the first track proper. ‘Angel Horned’ is a slice of symphonic yet brutal Death Metal that uses those Middle Eastern keyboard sounds to great effect to construct a fairly catchy if standard opener. ‘Esoteric Formulae’ has more of an Opeth feel to it - which is always a good thing, and some clean vocals make for a nice change of pace. ‘The Coronation of Seth’ starts off like a dodgy world music CD before descending into a more pleasing Melodic Death Metal formula - this will probably be the lead song on this album… something for everyone. ‘Hamunaptra’ is another big sounding symphonic piece, probably more blatantly so than the earlier tracks - again it’s another solid track that shows these guys mean business. ‘Iteru’ is a nice stripped back centre point that fully utilises the eastern instruments in the way they’re meant to be used, though it does sound an awful lot like Moonspell.
‘Goddess of Masr’ retreads the same path as ‘Angel Horned’ but with some acoustic instruments hidden in the mix. ‘Ouroborus’ again has a strong Opeth feel to it and it stands out to me as one of the stronger tracks on the album by coming a bit further out of the band’s apparent comfort zone. ‘Circle in Flames’ has a very interesting opening and a classic Melodic Death Metal structure to it that, like ‘The Coronation of Seth’ has a bit of something for everyone. The final track ‘Through The Eyes of Ea’ again retreads old ground and though the spoken vocals are annoyingly low in the mix, it’s heavy use of the symphonic keyboards is an exclamation point on what the band’s sound is.
Disciples of the Unseen is a good album with flawless production and solid song writing. The band’s use of Eastern instruments within a western song structure does just underline them as a symphonic Death Metal band with a gimmick rather than something more interesting and boundary pushing. But it is a gimmick that on this debut has worked well. Whether the band can carry that over to another album remains to be seen though.
http://www.myspace.com/aeternammetal
