Into Eternity have returned with their first album in a decade. The story of how the Saskatchewan stalwarts created this record is far too long to fit into a single review, but in short: after lineup changes, former members' deaths, record label debacles and several pushbacks, Into Eternity's sixth full-length has appeared. The Sirens is an absolute whirlwind of guitar shredding and musicianship that fans of Dream Theater and Arch Enemy should already be listening to.
New singer Amanda Kiernan is a wonderful addition to the band. After Stu Block left to raise hell with Iced Earth in 2013, Kiernan stepped up to handle vocal duties. She avoids the vibrato shrieking that comes with this type of music, instead settling somewhere between Alissa White-Gluz's roar and a classic metal wail. It's incredibly powerful, and the seven-minute length of most of the songs allow her to spread her wings further. Through the twists and turns of songs like "Fringes of Psychosis," she keeps the frantic instrumentation from spinning out of control.
But the showstopper is guitarist Tim Roth. He's been the driving force behind Into Eternity since their inception in 1997, and his approach has never changed. The levels of technicality he displays to "This Frozen Hell" and "Nowhere Near" bring to mind Mikael Akerfeldt, if he spent more time chilling with the boys in Blind Guardian.
Sometimes The Sirens shows its age. "Fukishima" (with Stu Block returning in a cameo role) was released as a single in 2012 and still sounds stuck in that post-melodeath world. But this is the album Into Eternity have been waiting to release for their entire career. Let's hope the next one doesn't take as long.
(M-Theory Audio)New singer Amanda Kiernan is a wonderful addition to the band. After Stu Block left to raise hell with Iced Earth in 2013, Kiernan stepped up to handle vocal duties. She avoids the vibrato shrieking that comes with this type of music, instead settling somewhere between Alissa White-Gluz's roar and a classic metal wail. It's incredibly powerful, and the seven-minute length of most of the songs allow her to spread her wings further. Through the twists and turns of songs like "Fringes of Psychosis," she keeps the frantic instrumentation from spinning out of control.
But the showstopper is guitarist Tim Roth. He's been the driving force behind Into Eternity since their inception in 1997, and his approach has never changed. The levels of technicality he displays to "This Frozen Hell" and "Nowhere Near" bring to mind Mikael Akerfeldt, if he spent more time chilling with the boys in Blind Guardian.
Sometimes The Sirens shows its age. "Fukishima" (with Stu Block returning in a cameo role) was released as a single in 2012 and still sounds stuck in that post-melodeath world. But this is the album Into Eternity have been waiting to release for their entire career. Let's hope the next one doesn't take as long.