Album Review: The Night Eternal – Cold Velvet
Reviewed by Rich Sargeant
Forming in Germany in 2018 The Night Eternal are preparing to celebrate the release of the band’s third LP ‘Cold Velvet’ on 21st August. Following on from 2023’s ‘Fatale’ the band has rubber stamped their signature blend of punchy classic heavy metal with moody, gothic-laden riffs.
While The Night Eternal will inevitably draw comparisons to other acts attempting to fill the rather large Peter Steele shaped void Type O Negative left in the gothic metal scene such as Unto Others, ‘Cold Velvet’ is a bold step in securing The Night Eternal’s place in that conversation. Opener ‘Where the World Ends’ does what this band do best and really sets the tone for the rest if the album: melancholic, sweeping leads, a driving NWOBHM-esque rhythm section all backed up by front man Ricardo Baum’s stand-out baritone vocals and clean sections that wouldn’t be amiss in one of those “80’s nighttime driving” Tik-Tok reels.
Next is the anthemic Eurydice (Don’t Look Away) which looks destined to become a mainstay of setlists for a long time with an insanely catchy ear worm of a chorus, this track really ramps up the old NWOBHM vibe – think earlier Iron Maiden or Angel Witch if they had chucked a bit of Bauhaus in for good measure.
The next real standout track entering the B-side – one of the albums singles ‘The Veins of Time’ lets vocalist Ricardo Baum really push the envelope in his delivery style in a way the band haven’t explored much until now, the chorus is delivered in starkly higher register than nearly everything else on the album – while not quite reaching Halford levels of glass-shattering shriek the contrast is enough to grab the attention.
The closing three tracks The Watcher of the Burning Veil, Shape of Sorrow and Dance on Crimson Ground again show the bands ability to switch gears – none of these tracks would look out of place on any of Iron Maiden’s “proggier” outings such as Seventh Son of a Seventh Son or Brave New World.
Overall, Cold Velvet carries on where Fatale finished off, its doubtful The Night Eternal will convert anyone that has already written them off but this is their best release yet and shows a band that has stepped up musically and is ready to stake a claim as one of Europe’s best upcoming bands.
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