Band:	The Eternal
Album:	The Sombre Light Of Isolation
Style:	Gothic doom metal, Gothic metal
Release date:	2004

01. Commemorate The Misery
02. A Cruel Misfortune
03. The Eternal
04. Down
05. The Sombre Light Of Isolation
06. Black Serenity
07. Crimson Sacrifice
08. Harmony Of Dissonance
09. Remembrance Scars
10. All Hope Lost

The Eternal is an Aussie Doom Metal band and this is their debut album, and I must say that I'm very impressed with the excellent level of the music here, and by this I don't refer to the technical part, but the "atmospheric" side of the music, these guys manage to create a gloomy atmosphere in each song of the album, the result? A somber album filled with surprises.

The album starts with "Commemorate The Misery" an atmospheric intro that leads us gently into the first real song of the album, "A Cruel Misfortune" the perfect opener, sorrowful yet melodic and very catchy, vocalist Mark Kelson does an excellent job in each song, his vocal delivery is cheerless yet filled with emotions, his voice doesn't have the usual "weepiness" factor that we're so used to receive in Doom Metal.

"The Eternal" is a more darker song, obscure riffs and excellent backing vocals makes of this one of my favorites, even have some has good 'ol growling included! In my opinion, the growling gives the music a lot of texture, not to mention the murky atmosphere it creates.

The cd goes on with "Down" the catchiest song in the album, song that also have a lot of Gothic influences, like later Paradise Lost to name one, but still, is a catchy song with the word "SINGLE" all over it, title track "The Sombre Light Of Isolation" is a 10 minutes song, filled with mood changes and somber passages, but wait! some other surprises are in stock, like the female vocals in "Harmony Of Dissonance" and the guest appearance of Darren White (Ex-Anathema) on the lead vocals in "Remembrance Scars".

Yes, this is a great Doom Metal album, filled with excellent passages, variety in the songs and excellent presentation, and for those that are not too fond of Doom Metal, some outer influences like Gothic Metal are present also. A must have for anyone capable of opening their lives to a healthy dose of sorrow.