photo by AJ Savolainen

(We present Comrade Aleks‘ extensive and informative interview of Mark Kelson — co-founder, guitarist, and vocalist of The Eternal, whose new album was released in June by Reigning Phoenix Music.)

The Eternal was born from the remains of one of the first Australian death-doom bands, Cryptal Darkness, and Skinwalker is the seventh full-length in The Eternal’s career. It was released in June by Reigning Phoenix Music, and I need to tell you that since the release of their last album Waiting for the Endless Dawn (2018), the line-up of the band has changed dramatically.

I don’t know how, but The Eternal’s founder Mark Kelson (vocals, guitars) and his bandmate Richie Poate (guitars) lured the rhythm section of Amorphis – Jan Rechberger (drums) and Niklas Etelävuori (bass) – into the lineup. Also the vocalist and keyboardist of Amorphis are listed as guests, and this is, of course, something out of the ordinary!

The doom component of Skinwalker is minimized, and Mark and his comrades play their heavy gothic metal quite briskly, weaving patterns of airy melodies and delivering melancholic vocal parts almost without looking back at their death-doom past. Continue reading »