Review Summary: So let it come
Since
Winter’s Gate and
Vessels in 2016, Insomnium and Be’lakor, respectively, have taken the throne of being the pinnacle, top-tier craftsmen of melodic death metal, and rightfully so. In fact, many fans of the bands would argue that they already garnered this very throne on their prior releases, and there are numerous reasons why these fans wouldn’t be incorrect in their assertions. Both bands have never released a “bad” album, per se, and with each subsequent release, these somber, melody-dripping riff machines have amassed countless positive reviews and have only escalated the number of their fanbase that just gets bigger and bigger with each passing day. These two juggernauts are the bands that new bands in the tired sub-genre look up to and, inevitably, try to emulate. Wolfheart, Countless Skies (named after a f
ucking Be’lakor song), Okera, and Cantabile Wind are some of the more obvious examples; all competent bands with good albums, admittedly, but all clearly chasing the success of their inspirations.
So, sure, on paper we can add Eternal Storm to the bunch. But instead of just writing them off as being mere competent copies, let’s put them in a different group, a group we can label as “potential realized”. Eternal Storm move at a slow-ish to mid-tempo speed (think Enshine’s work or In Vain’s more somber moments on
Aenigma), but there are points when they do pick up the speed and start wielding seminal Insomnium-like guitar leads. Through it all, however, they keep their dark atmosphere at the forefront, and if the band's song path happens to drop in tempo, the progression feels natural and well earned. Vocalist/bassist Daniel Jimeno (Kheryon) has a sizable, inspiring snarl and growl, and the band receives aid from a number of vocalists from Ben C. Read (ex-Ulcerate) to Christopher Baque-Wildman (Dejadeath) on a couple of tracks. If you are a fan of the bands I mentioned, I highly encourage you to give these Spaniards a shot.
Come The Tide is melodic death metal’s most promising debut album in a very long time.
