Wow. My year just got a whole lot better with the release of this, Doomsword's latest contribution to doom metal. Before I begin, I just have to applaud these guys for never releasing an even mediocre album in their entire 14-year career, all the while remaining as dependable to their formula as possible. I really want to see how long this streak lasts.
So, here we have it, the new Doomsword. I take my finger off the pulse of one of my favorite bands for an instant, and what happens? I get a fucking iron boot to my face, that's what! The first thing that crossed my mind when I put this in was "Can this beat My Name Will Live On?" Yes. Yes it can. With interest. Don't get me wrong, this is Doomsword, so you doomsters know what to expect. The completely inhumanly good guitar work, better-every-time vocals from Deathmaster, pounding war-chant choruses, it's all there. But where this improves on My Name is in the pacing of the album. Where My Name would vary its pace quite often, The Eternal Battle very rarely changes pace. Somehow, this lack of variety doesn't harm the album at all. How is this possible? Oh, yeah, IT'S FUCKING DOOMSWORD! Every phrase, riff and vocal line is as kick-ass and catchy as humanly possible, and the album length is perfectly manageable.
The only thing anyone might have a problem with is the production. Granted, at first impression it might seem to be inferior to My Name, sounding less heavy and thinner, but after a couple of listens, the production reveals itself to be a thunderous, massive beast. It's very "open" sounding, and really lets everything shine through. Once I put this on, I always listen through every song, from the energetic Varusschlacht to the explosive world-ending closer that is Warlife, and I love every second of it. So far, this is THE album to beat this year.
