(written by Islander)
Almost six years have passed since the Belgian band Ethereal Darkness released their debut album, Smoke and Shadows. Through a rendering of atmospheric melodic death metal with black and doom metal influences, it presented a great combination of heavy, head-moving power, sublime melancholy moods, wide-screen sweep, and heart-rupturing emotional explosiveness.
Smoke and Shadows was the solo effort of Lars, but in the years since then he has found four other talented musicians to join him, and they have completed a second, hour-long, album entitled Echoes. While they continue searching for a label to handle its release, Ethereal Darkness have decided to release a single from the album named “On the Edge of the Cliff,” and as you can see, we’re hosting its premiere today.
But before we get to that song, however, we should first talk about another album track (its first single) released last November along with a beautifully evocative lyric video: “The Cycle“.
Like all six songs on Echoes, “The Cycle” is a long one, and Ethereal Darkness use the time to create a varying but relentlessly riveting experience.
In its opening phase, the music slowly shimmers and rings in a way that’s mysterious and meditative, gently beckoning the listener forward. Suddenly, as vulcanism appears in the video, drums hammer, a bass heavily rumbles, and the opening melody intensifies and brilliantly soars.
Feverishly swirling guitars arrive, more distraught in mood but no less sweeping, along with scarring growls, tormented screams, and impassioned singing that rises to impressive heights. The music also dramatically elevates again, pierced by the trill of the lead guitar, which continues resembling a hybrid of flute and pipes (and calls to mind old Celtic melodies), and it seems to channel not only distress but also intense yearning.
Near the mid-point, a vibrant guitar-bridge spurs the music into a different phase, and while the vocals are still lacerating, the song sounds like a joyful dance — and then explodes in a blast-driven typhoon of ferocity.
Yet the music gentles again, and becomes sorrowful — and also surges in a bout of vividly pulsating riffage, battering drums, low-end detonations, and scalding vocals. In line with the powerful lyrics, the music gloriously swells and sweeps like a blazing expression of hope, and that dramatic finale takes the listener’s breath away.
And now let’s turn to “On the Edge of the Cliff.” Lars has told us this about the song:
It’s one of our darkest and most intense tracks, delving into themes of despair, depression, and suicide. Despite its heavy subject matter, the song bursts with energy, showcasing a faster, more aggressive side of our sound.
Immediately the song staggers at a doomed pace, heavy and beleaguered, but a darting guitar signals a segue into fiery intensity marked by charging drums, thrusting and swarming guitars, and incendiary screams.
As in “The Cycle,” Ethereal Darkness quickly expand the scale and dramatic power of the music, and the lead guitar again flashes in thrilling fashion, invoking the over-used but entirely fitting word “epic,” in part because it makes the music sound like the soundtrack to some ancient saga even as the surrounding instrumentation is delivering various forms of head-hooking punchiness.
Like “The Cycle,” this new song is a long one, and further variations lie ahead, including a more subdued and thoroughly beguiling guitar-driven interlude which itself both intensifies and grows darker in its mood before seeming to drift up into celestial pathways. The band now includes three guitarists, and thus this interlude features a wonderful layering of tones, timbres, and moods — and the rhythm section provide just the right, steady backing for all the mesmerizing musical wonders traced by the guitarists.
But knowing the band’s proclivities, you know the song won’t end this way. Instead, it once more catches fire, rumbles like an avalanche, takes flight, scorches the words, and seems to glide and dart like winter hawks in the sun — though softness and sorrow have the final word.
Just hearing these two songs, it’s easy to appreciate that Echoes will be a monumental work that will likely tower when people start looking back at 2025’s best releases. They demonstrate the formidable talents of Ethereal Darkness in creating elaborate, multi-faceted songs that deliver emotional power across a broad range, visceral punch, ancient elegance, and the kind of sweep and grandeur that puts your heart in your throat.
ETHEREAL DARKNESS:
Lars – Vocals, Guitar
Brecht – Vocals, Guitar
Zjesse – Guitar
Mike – Bass
Peter – Drums
ECHOES Track List:
1. Gone With The Tide – 10:51
2. The Cycle – 9:42
3. Winter – 7:49
4. IV – 9:45
5. On The Edge Of The Cliff – 8:48
6. Realization – 13:21
– Runtime: 60:18
“On the Edge of the Cliff” was mixed and mastered by none other than Dan Swanö at Unisound Studios. It will be digitally released as a single on January 31st, and features cover art by Heidi Kosenius. It’s available for pre-order now.
PRE-ORDER:
https://etherealdarkness.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-edge-of-the-cliff
ETHEREAL DARKNESS:
https://etherealdarkness.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/etherealplace/
https://www.instagram.com/etherealdarknessband