Cursed In Eternity – Işığın Ardında

Cursed In Eternity is a Depressive Black Metal band out of Turkey. They released Işığın Ardında at the end of 2020, with physical release in the US in early March. This album is full of heavy, dark, black metal tone. They mix that with atmospheric synth, and a surprising amount of clean playing.

To open, “Sonsuza Kadar Lanetli” has haunting synth with unsettling piano. It gives the feeling of being alone in darkness, but filled with the fear of not truly being alone. The title track, “Işığın Ardında” starts with plucking, clean guitar that gives way to shrieking vocals and building rhythm. Symphonic keys and matching guitar add a sense of epicness. The flow between brutal and gentle creates an atmospheric darkness. “İnandığımız Yalanlar” uses an ethereal symphony backed by shrieks and screams of utter anguish. The piano is bright and uplifting, but not enough to undo the damnation already beset upon us. The soft piano opening of “Umutsuzluğa Haykırış” builds toward a bigger and bigger sound. The guitars belong on a mountain top, with the wind carrying the sound throughout the land. The spoken word about halfway through gives sense of importance.

“Son Fısıltı” conveys fog and cold with its distant vocals and layers of synth. The guitars are blistering, yet calculated. They go from heavy to clean with ease. “Karanlığın İçinden” uses piano to again add an eeriness. It gives the uncomfortable feeling of a haunted circus with madmen on the loose. The heavier parts are HEAVY brutal black metal. The clean guitar opening of “Bir daha mı” gives way to very traditional sounding atmospheric black metal. The lead guitar playing is other-worldly and demands attention. The second half leans extensively on some macabre sounding organ. “Yaprak” starts with more eerie and menacing sounding piano that builds towards dark symphonic playing and marching drums. The heavy crunch to clean guitars shows the best bass sound of the album. “Yaprak” is a long song at almost 11 minutes, full of transitions and incredible soloing. It fades out to the unsettling piano from the intro. To close the album, “Son Mektup” is full of shrieking vocals and a sense of agony. The clean singing is unexpected, but fits very well.

Overall, Cursed In Eternity have released a great album of depressive and atmospheric Black Metal. Their use of transitions makes each song feel new and different from the beginning, at the end. They flow from brutal and heavy to symphonic and clean without causing lost interest. The song structures keep you listening for changes and small details. Işığın Ardında is available now on CD via Road Rat Records and streaming on Youtube and Spotify.