Eternal White Trees – Prelude Of Loss – CD Review

 

“It’s doomy and gloomy“, is how my colleague at All About The Rock succinctly described my latest assignment.. As a fan of all things left field and doom, and consequently I needed to get my icy fingers on “Prelude Of Loss” by Eternal White Trees. The follow-up album to “The Summer That Will Not Come” for the Italian doom metal act. Tissues at the ready as this could be an emotionally intense one…

 

First impressions; this is what I expected. Everything about this sums up the key aspects of the doom metal genre. The blazing guitar leads that sacrifice needlessly technical complexity in favour of simple yet devastating soul piercing riffs that tug furiously on your heart strings. The vocals are of a similar emotional weight and depth with every agonal gasp dripping in a raw human sentiment that’s impossible to ignore. This is supplemented by the intermittent deployment of heavier growls later in the album. The carefully planted and utilized synths add a rare semblance of melody and brightness in what is a gloriously bleak affair. If you’re looking for sunshine, rainbows, and artificial happiness, then this isn’t the album for you. Instead, Eternal White Trees offers heavy doses of melancholy in spades.

 

Whilst the majority of the compositions take on a more methodical and gradual pace, there are occasions where the pace and overall energy are given a welcome boost. In particular, during ‘The Army Of Nothing’ where a rather aesthetic guitar passage in arpeggio style is the centrepiece piece for the song, much in the style of Insomnium or other melodic death metal bands of that ilk.

It’s a similar tale with ‘Into The Abyss Of Night’ with some thoroughly intoxicating less guitar work making me wonder why I stopped learning to play guitar as a teenager and makes me want to get back in there!

 

Time for a cover now, which to be truthful I’m not too thrilled with as the band have more than enough compositional skill without needing to pad out the album with ‘Such A Shame’, a cover by Talk Talk. I confess that I’m not familiar with the original, but given the synth heavy elements that dominate this particular composition, one could argue it adds a welcome injection of dynamism and a change of pace. All before the heavy glooms make their return, just like in ‘Not Anymore’.

Some things are better in pairs, aren’t they? Strawberries and cream, Batman and Robin, or in this case the spine chilling attack of the piano and blazing lead guitars. I realise that I’ve referred to these elements multiple times, but they really are central to the band’s overall sound. Conversely, it can feel like ideas are stretched a little too thin and the compositional variety is lacking to make this a truly great record. Which almost certainly has the potential to be. Fans of Swallow The Sun, Katatonia, and Swallow The Sun will be more than happy with this offering and journey into the darker recesses of music.

Score 7/10

TRACKLISTING:

1. Time In A Candle
2. The Last Dance
3. A Stranger Inside The Mirror
4. Not Anymore
5. Such A Shame (Talk Talk Cover)
6. Into The Abyss Of Night
7. Rest For A Moment
8. The Army Of Nothing
9. Upon The Moon
10. And If You Have To Leave
11. Time Has Come

Label – My Kingdom Music
Release –  21st March 2025

For all things Eternal White Trees, click HERE and to purchase the album, click HERE