De Aeternitate Commando

It all started with Seth's debut album. For what I can recall, my first approach to the French black metal scene was introduced by the now well-known symphonic band, as their first effort was a blasting and sophisticated kind of black metal art. There was a period between the initial "Les Légions Noires" ultra-underground era and the next complex and challenging course of Deathspell Omega that was approximately confined in the first half of the 2000s. Here you can find Crystalium! Their take on black metal was particularly akin to my tastes: melodic, sharp, and quite almost driven by ferocious and precise blast-beats—very powerful and remarkable blasts, I would like to stress! Like what was in the style of the phenomenal drummer Alsvid from Seth, here we have high-tempo, fast-paced traditional blasts that are aggressive and brutal. There are bands in the Darkthrone's spectrum that tend to perform blast with a moderate pace—160 bpm in metronome, or even less—to obtain a monotonous and hypnotic stream of sound. When you push things up to 180 bpm, then the psycho-acoustic effect is different, and that's what Crystalium displayed here! A call to arms—an urgent belligerent need for warfare!

Now, is there something about the message of this band? Maybe I suspect, but I really don't care! I like the music; I like the attitude, period. The ideologies of the individuals behind the musicians are not my deal and my business: I have my own ideas and are not related to any political or religious agenda, so I am never really upset with certain themes. Just, let's say, I can't stand unblack metal, as it’s an oxymoron that collides with my sense of integrity and coherence. Apart from the lyrical themes, Crystalium delivered this frenzy, powerful frontal assault of excellent tremolo-picked riffs and exceptional screaming vocals, with verses in mother tongue and a tone that is not your usual Bathory's worship! The songs are also very elaborate in structure, ranging from 6 to 9 minutes long, and considering that they rely primarily on blast beats, it's quite an achievement to keep the listener's focus and momentum very high.

French black metal, at this point, is not related to a particular interpretation of the genre, but there's some kind of sensibility in doing black metal in the "French way": it is not the time yet for Deathspell Omega's personal take of the genre, but something was clearly emerging from the underground, and it was different from the "Les Légions Noires" auto-referential and strictly enclosed movement.

France has been blessed lately with excellent black metal acts. Crystalium is part of this blessing. De Aeternitate Commando is what I consider true blazing black metal with content and technical achievement. I have been introduced to this album not long ago, but I did enjoy it the first time I heard it. This is fast-paced black metal with hyper blasting. The drums on De Aeternitate Commando are phenomenal considering that the songs average 7 minutes in length and that the blasting goes for that long. Truly amazing.

Two words that would describe this release are: Pure Hate. The atmosphere surrounding it is just continual hatred which is ultimately a big plus. The lyrics are all in French and fit perfectly to the content of the album with harsh consonants you find in Molière's language.

There are in this album some minor flaws. Some parts may feel awkward (i.e. the lyrics are arranged in an odd manner some times.) Do not get that overshadow the rest of this magnificient and venomous album. The content is definitely there with spiteful and philosophical lyrics.

De Aeternitate Commando is a black metal gem. Embark on a journey towards hatred. You shall not be disappointed.