{"id":373677,"date":"2026-01-16T17:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/373677\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T17:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T17:30:08","slug":"the-eternal-celestial-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/373677\/","title":{"rendered":"The Eternal – Celestial Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Australian Gothic doom act The Eternal came into my life with their 2018 opus Waiting for the Endless Dawn and caused me much consternation. I loved their depressive Paradise Lost \/ Sentenced \/ Katatonia style, but struggled with the sheer length of the compositions, which ranged from 10 minutes upward to 20. I underscored the album despite some amazing material due to its sheer size, and I regret that still. 2024s Skinwalker saw them tone down the running times somewhat, and it was another glum victory with huge moments of sadboi glory. Now, The Eternal drop a mini-album\/EP named Celestial, and lo and behold, it\u2019s economical in size and scope. You get 4 new tracks, a remix from their sophomore release, and one short intro. It\u2019s not much on paper, but it hits way above its weight and again proves these Aussie doomers have something special going on that every doom fan needs to be aware of.<\/p>\n

After a throwaway intro, \u201cCelestial Veil\u201d comes in to mop the floor with your emotions with a vulgar display of poignant Gothic doom. It has strong similarities to the classic Black Sun Aeon and Dawn of Solace playbook of Tuomas Saukkonen, with weepy guitar lines and plaintive clean singing designed to fill your heart with grief. The chorus is so perfect and gripping that you can\u2019t unhear it after one exposure. And the most amazing part? It\u2019s relatively short at just over 6 minutes! \u201cIt All Ends\u201d is even shorter and carries the torch of despondency with another downcast paean to misery that\u2019s emotive, morbid, and catchy, with a killer chorus designed to stick like a prison shank.<\/p>\n

The hits keep coming on \u201cBleeding into Light,\u201d which milks the band\u2019s streamlined template for all its worth. It\u2019s simple but uber-memorable, part Goth rock and part doom. It works a charm, and it\u2019s so easy to listen to as it hollows out your soul. The big surprise comes with \u201cCasting Down Shadows,\u201d where the band takes their core approach and layers it with epical Middle Eastern symphonics to arrive at something grandiose like a doom version of Led Zeppelin\u2019s immortal \u201cKashmir.\u201d It creates a strange hypnotic effect, and you lose yourself in the haze of time and space. It\u2019s a really interesting song and shows a side of The Eternal that I want to hear more of. Things round out with \u201cEverlasting MMXXVI,\u201d a remix of a track off their 2004 Sleep of Reason album. It works here, and though the overall style is more stripped-down and Goth rock-based. These shorter style cuts remind me of the early stuff from Deathwhite, and that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Eternal know how to nail their chosen style to the wall, giving the Gothic\/melodoom fan everything they could want. Mark Kelson\u2019s vocals are perfect for this kind of dour doom, and he sells negative emotions by the truckload without having to strain or contort his voice to get the point across. His sullen crooning is beguiling, and when he steps the urgency up, things really pop. Kelson and Richie Poate are a potent guitar tandem, often keeping things minimalist while crafting classic Goth\/melodoom harmonies that remind of what Greg Macintosh (Paradise Lost) does so well. Their playing is the mortuary drape that covers everything in cold hopelessness. This isn\u2019t the most flashy of bands musically, but they don\u2019t need to be to ensnare and bewitch you.<\/p>\n

In my review for Skinwalker, I wrote, \u201cIf they ever learn to resist their fatter angels, they\u2019ll drop a magnum opus that will shake the heavens.\u201d Here we find The Eternal associating with angels on Ozempic, and the results are impressive indeed. I\u2019m anxious to see if Celestial is indicative of where the band is heading. I\u2019m fully on board if that\u2019s the case, and if not, I can deal with the zaftig angels too. I\u2019m easy when the doom is this sexy.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating: 3.5\/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix<\/a>
Websites: the-eternal.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/theeternal<\/a> | instagram.com\/theeternalofficial<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: January 16th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:\n<\/p>\n