Melodic Death Metal – Page 2 – Metal Eclipse Reviews

In Mouring – The Immortal

Metalcatto

Saying that I was excited about In Mourning’s The Immortal would be an understatement. I’m old school; I’ve been a fan since Monolith and Shrouded Divine. Everything after that has been the highest level of MeloProg consistency ever seen in that niche. If anything, the band could easily top a list of the most underrated acts in Metal. However, with every great release, the risk of the next one being a flop increases. The Bleeding Veil was outstanding, but can the band keep up with this ridiculous run? Let’s find out!

Creating Amid Conflict: Denis (Die Entweihung) on Life, Music, and Resistance

Metalcatto

This interview has taken forever to complete. Mostly because of me being busy running this tiny Metal empire, but it was worth it to return to our humble origins—before wealth and fame corrupted us. Die Entweihung has the honor of being the first band we covered in True Kvlt. The raw MeloDeath project, led by Denis Tereschenko from Belarus, who also happens to live in Israel right now and is heavily political, made me have so many questions. And yes! I know this is a brutally heated and controversial subject. I’ll do my best to not misrepresent anyone and… who am I kidding? You’ll kill each other on IG anyway. Let’s go!

Soliloquium- Famine

One could argue that I’m now an old school Soliloquium fan, since Contemplations was my introduction to the band. Needless to say, I still listen to it today. It’s that perfect mix of Prog and Swedish Melodeath that’s not always easy to find. The band has done interesting things since then, but Famine seems to aim for a more personal direction – channeling all the suffering and pain its creator went through (something common in Metal, let’s be honest). So the real question is: will this satisfy us or leave us hungry?

Dawn of Solace – Affliction Vortex

Last year, we already had Saukkonen visiting us with Wolfheart, but this year, Dawn of Solace is back with Affliction Vortex, promising a tempest of sadness and melancholy with the signature Finnish sound. I don’t know how this man stays so productive, but we’ve learned that the more pressure and projects he has going on, the better the product. Also, since Dawn of Solace’s duo returned, they’ve probably been the most consistent of all his projects. Hence, I do have some discrete expectations. Don’t blame me—this is my guilty pleasure!

The Halo Effect – March of the Unheard

Looking for trivia for this review, I came to the obvious fact that The Halo Effect only has two albums (counting March of the Unheard), which honestly is shocking given how seasoned some of its members are. I always wondered if The Halo Effect would just follow whatever Dark Tranquillity or In Flames were doing and if it’d even be capable of competing with the OGs of Swedish MeloDeath. But not everything is about competition; sometimes you create a band to hang out with your friends, right? Sometimes, you just want to dive into music with the same excitement you once had for life, back when you were too young to own your mistakes.

Druparia – The River Above

It’s that time of the year when everyone in our deranged community swallows a pack of stimulants and tries to assemble an end-of-year list. Because why not? Why not put yourself through this absurd stress right when you’re (hopefully) on holiday? Anyway, in another attempt to procrastinate this thankless task, I’m reviewing Druparia’s The River Above. I’m feeling generous, and a unsigned band releasing a debut at the end of the year feels fitting for the season. Let’s go—I have a Christmas dinner to eat!

Againt I – Songs for the Dying

It’s tricky to pick the last album to review this year before we all dive into top lists and rankings for the holidays. This is the perfect chance to explore some of the more discreet releases that might otherwise get drowned out by the noise. When I first checked out Against I‘s Songs for the Dying, two opposing thoughts crossed my mind: “It looks like Brave Murder Day, but it can’t be that good”, and also, “It can’t be produced that poorly either”. With that calculated, almost sociopathic train of thought, I put Songs for the Dying on. Let me tell you if it delivered.

Ensiferum – Winter Storm

Elyna Kahn

Ensiferum will release its highly anticipated album Winter Storm soon! Renowned for its Melodic Death Metal sound, the band has built a successful career since forming in 1997. The 2020 album Thalassic achieved significant success, propelling Ensiferum to world tours before the pandemic ruined everything. Now, four years later, the band is back with Winter Storm, an album that promises to captivate fans with its powerful blend of Viking Folk Metal and evolved melodic elements.

The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude

The Black Dahlia Murder is a pinnacle of consistency. There hasn’t been an album in its long career that sucked. Even though the band has remained strict in style, TBDM has never fumbled the bag. However, it had to face its biggest challenge ever after the tragic loss of Trevor Strnad (everyone in the community struggled when the news hit, let’s face it), which is why I’m approaching this review differently. More than just jokes and expectations, I’m rooting for the band to show us that, despite how irreplaceable Trevor was, they can continue honoring his memory. Oh, and it’d be great if we love Servitude too! Let’s dive in.

Wintersun – Time II

Some things are certain in life: taxes, death, and that Wintersun will take a long time between releases. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we would ever get Time II until I saw the promo. There’s always so much anticipation when it comes to this band, and given how its last album received mixed reviews, my expectations were so grounded that I was listening to Wintersun with the same attention and “objectivity” (an absurd term to use in a review) as I would for any other promo in my email inbox. Having said that, you came here to find out if Power Metal/MeloDeath can offer something fresh as a sub-genre, right?