Follow the ancient path of old school Death Metal engendered by another promising band from the underground of Polish music.
Once again, it’s time to take a direct flight to the beautiful Republic of Poland, more specifically to the city of Toruń, for another blast of high-quality Polish metal music. Located in northern Poland, Toruń is not only one of the oldest cities in the country, but also the birthplace of the renowned astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. This charming and important city, which was was added to the list of Seven Wonders of Poland in 2007, might have the nickname “City of Angels” due to the angel in its coat of arms, but after listening to Following the Ancient Path, the debut full-length opus by Death Metal quartet Eteritus, we should also start calling it as “City of Death Metal”.
The band was founded in February 2013, when guitarist Zimny (also known as Zima) and drummer Nitro met, and after vocalist Liam Tailor joined the band one month later they already started working on new material. One year after the band’s inception, the EP Tales of Death was born and Eteritus’ lineup was completed by bassist Greg. After receiving many positive reviews from fans and critics, the band began working on what would become Following the Ancient Path, a storm of old school Death Metal for fans of sheer aggressiveness in music. Featuring a dark and traditional artwork by Polish artist Bartek Kurzok (who has already worked with other amazing underground bands such as Abigail, Ulcer and Deathstorm), this is one of those albums that despite knowing what you’re going to get, you always feel positively surprised with the level of professionalism and dedication from all band members, which always translates into kick-ass metal music.
A metallic Intro presenting eerie guitar sounds warms up the listener until Biocentric kicks off emanating aggressiveness, with vocalist and guitarist Liam Tailor leading the band’s sonic attack boosted by the sharp sounds and endless electricity flowing from the guitars. Moreover, this tune is tailored for some sick headbanging due to its menacing rhythm, which can also be said about the heavy and barbaric Hellish Imagery, where Liam delivers anger and darkness through his growls while Nitro varies between pure groove and demonic blast beats, living up to the tradition of old school Death Metal. And in the demonic composition The Unliving Thing, Liam becomes the creature exhaling brutality through its horror movie-inspired lyrics (“Dark moon reflects in the eye of the beast / He longs for his brood, calls for his kin / Watching with dead eyes / Searching for blood / Running from daylight / Hiding from sun”), with Nitro and Zima supporting him with his blazing beats and riffs, respectively.
Consider yourself in the eye of a metal storm while listening to the vicious Eye of the Storm, a pure Death Metal chant where all instruments sound boisterous, especially the bass lines à la Alex Webster by Greg. Due to its awesome rhythm, the song never gets boring or tiresome; quite the contrary, it’s bestial in its entirety, maintaining the fire burning in the fantastic Incinerator, with its flammable lyrics (“Walking on the ashes of a scorched, dead world / Burned to the ground in a fiery storm / Cemetery silence, instilling fear / The light in your eye like a tip of a spear”) and its accelerated rhythm led by Nitro. Blending elements from Thrash Metal to their traditional Death Metal, this is not only one of the top moments of the album, but it will also work perfectly when played live.
The bestiality in Following the Ancient Path goes on with another carnivorous composition titled Somber Mind, with the band generating the perfect dark ambience for Liam to fire some really deep gnarls, including some obscure guitar solos and crushing beats, followed by the also solid End of Line. The second to last song of the album brings forward sheer darkness, with the cutting bass guitar by Greg igniting a feast of visceral growls and intricate drumming, also showcasing poisonous riffs and endless aggressiveness. And if you love kick-ass high-octane Death Metal with hints of Black and Thrash Metal let me tell you that Mortal Prophecy will certainly satisfy your needs, being vile and thunderous from start to finish, also presenting interesting tempo changes and a fiery guitar solo at the end.
You can follow the ancient path of old school Death Metal engendered by Eteritus by liking their Facebook page, and grab your copy of the album at the Godz ov War Productions’ webshop or BandCamp page, as well as at Discogs. Yet again, we’re facing an up-and-coming band from Poland delivering top-of-the-line extreme music, consequently carving their names in the underground Polish scene, and I believe they will soon conquer other parts of Europe and the rest of the world thanks to their honesty, their talent, their passion for heavy music and their electrified attitude.
Best moments of the album: Eye of the Storm and Incinerator.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2016 Godz ov War Productions
Track listing
1. Intro 1:25
2. Biocentric 4:23
3. Hellish Imagery 4:32
4. The Unliving Thing 4:04
5. Eye of the Storm 3:07
6. Incinerator 3:16
7. Somber Mind 3:41
8. End of Line 3:41
9. Mortal Prophecy 4:16
Band members
Liam Tailor – vocals, guitars
Zima – guitars
Greg – bass
Nitro – drums
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 