In the Side of Eternal Eclipse

This release is only 13 minutes long, but absolutely amazing. That’s exactly what real Black Metal should sound like. The cover art looks very medieval and it fits the music and the lyrics well. The production probably was very cheap, the sound is a bit raspy, but not TOO bad.

Intro - The intro is great, it’s indeed one of the most beautiful intros I’ve ever heard on a Black Metal release. You hear acoustic guitars playing a medieval and kind of sad melody for 41 seconds, and then suddenly the first “real” song starts.

El Monte De Las Animas - This song starts with a raspy guitar riff and then you hear a loud scream and at the same time the blast beat kicks in. The drums are perfect, not too loud and always at the same pace. They’re just there to lay down the beat. Then the singing starts. The vocals are very harsh and raspy and it’s impossible to understand them (hell, it’s even hard to understand them if you have the lyrics). At 1:58 there is an acoustic part and about 20 seconds later the riffing and the drums start again and hold on until the end of the song. This song is pure evil.

In The Side Of Eternal Eclipse - This is the title song of the EP. It starts with a long scream and a riff which is slightly clearer than on the previous song. The song is also a bit slower than the previous one. At 1:16 the drums stop and the guitars play a slower melody, but there are still vocals. At 2:27 the guitars get faster again and a blast beat kicks in. This is the longest song on the release with 4:26 and it’s a very good song too. It’s maybe a bit less aggressive than the other 2 “real” songs.

From The Iberian Winter Lands - This song starts with an evil riff and a blast beat, which is once again followed by a loud scream. There’s not much to say about it. It’s at the same pace the whole time and the blast beat never stops. It’s an amazing song too, like every other song on the EP.

Outro - It’s similar to the Intro. Just acoustic guitars playing a medieval tune. I like the melody of the Intro better though.

Overall, this EP is a Black Metal masterpiece and every fan of the genre should try to get his hands on this. Absolutely evil and unholy Black Metal.

As you look the covers of this MCD, you can tell that it's going to be a wonderful album. "No mosh, no core, no trends, no fun... Only black fucking metal WAR!", and a guy breathing fire. Knowing that the guys of Nazgul are behind this, got me even more interested.

To the musical facts. This album contains almost the only intro&outro I've ever liked, containing only acoustic guitars, and running short, without symphonic bullshit. After a 30sec intro the mayhem begins. Very cruel and cold distorted guitar strikes in with simple, yet catchy riffs, and the drummer goes ballistic, using high speed almost all the time. The vocalist is definitely one of my favourites, screaming very distorted and angry curses. After 12 minutes (and three songs) of madness, Uruk-Hai says goodnight, and plays a good 30sec acoustic outro. No symphonic bullshit here either.

So the only thing that left me unhappy is the awkward length of this album, totalling only 13 minutes... As I wrote this review, I already listened the album twice. The old saying fits here well : "Quality over quantity". The three songs (+Intro & Outro) shouldn't leave any black metal-fanatic cold. A must buy, despite it's length. I'm definitely waiting for a full lenght some day.

Standout tracks : All 5 of them.