THE BEAST

Inception Of Eternity - Last Exit To The Past - Reviewed by Jenny Tate ! Check it out here at this link: https://jennytate.wordpress.com/2021/06/07/inception-of-eternity-last-exit-to-the-past/

‘Last Exit To The Past’ is the new album from Inception Of Eternity. This 2nd studio album is 15 tracks long and is available now, in both CD and digital formats. You can also buy band merchandise, from their online darkSIGN music site.

The Age Of Warlords – Marching intro’s, followed by a bomb dropping, before gothic vocals take over. A quick paced number, featuring masculine and feminine vocals and impressively sustained drum rolls. Interesting blend of vocal tones and some keyboard wizardry, alongside the heavy drums and power riffs. Intriguingly Bowie-esque sound to the male vocals. Dark lyrics, matching the aural background.

From The Evil Inside – Heavy drum blasts open, with lighter synths and melodies. Then cutting, to another gothic vocal edge. Combining vocals, as the drums roll along, with the synths. Deeper, darker male vocals creep in, with the lighter feminine ones. Some decent stop-start stuff and the riffs soar, showcasing some free-form improv. It’s a very rhythmic track, upbeat and melodic, ending on another synth tone.

Blunt Blade – Another heavy intro, with a firmer synth section, featuring a vaguely sci-fi effect. Moving a little too close to electronica, in places, but there’s still heaviness. The main issue is the implausibility of that mix of sounds, in relation to the lyrics. The deeper the song goes, the more experimental it becomes. Another male/female vocal blend. Reaching an abrupt end.

The Cradle Of Darkness – Dense darkness opens, featuring a funeral bell, amidst the riffs. Then it explodes, into a higher melody. Clear power to the vocals here and the passion’s evident. A lighter-hearted number, conveyed via faster rhythms and high-pitched melodies. This is where the riffs fly highest. Definitely the catchiest. It’s more gothically evocative. Stronger melodies, all the way, screaming through the riffs. It’s a track that grows on you. Ending on rainfall, with another funeral bell.

Where Are You Now – Beautifully quiescent intro, featuring light percussion and strings, delivered in an orchestral structure. Soaring into a powerful melody. Here, the vocals lift, though there are some brief flatter sections. Drum momentum well sustained, again. Quite poignant power riffs, plausibly delivered. Ending on a vacuum of sound.

Wrong Saviour – Grinding crunch of an intro! Then moving into a poppy section, notably melancholic. Evolving, into a combo of 80’s pop and thinly veneered goth rock. The riffs hit it spot on, throughout, though, it has to be said. Exacting drum hits bring it to an end. An unusual flavour.

Shame And Fear – A very poignant vocal and piano intro, taking it further into synth territory. Pinpoint precise drum hits. Masculine/feminine voices marry. Growing lighter, in places. One thing this has is vocal passion. The gothic edge remains. It’s a well blended and synced track, with a lot of energy. Again, some colourful riffage, adding to the fervour. Lifting higher, here and there, this is another one that grows on you. Ending on impassioned vocals.

One Day – A single cymbal hit and several well spaced drum hits intro. Acoustic riffs accompany that quirky, Bowie-esque vocal. Moving up, into an electronic melody. A bit of a depressing vibe to this. It’s quite downbeat, but thankfully, it’s fairly short. Mainly, the style detracts from the gothic scene.

Sacrifice – Straight into electronic arenas. A deep, masculine gothic vocal, amongst the ill-fitting melody and style. The female vocals lift it, slightly, though it’s still very dark. Drums doing their thing, as well as ever. It’s just a bit of an ill-matched sound combo. More keys and synths involved. Again, it’s noticeably melancholic. Well-defined ending.

Counting Down The Days – Gradual intro, leaving room for imagination, before blasting into life, with drumming panache. Well energised riffs. A sinister tinge to the lyrics. The sound does lift, though. Just slightly monotone, in places, but there’s light in it. Slight backing vocals add a vague extra effect. The lead vocals actually grow stronger and more passionate, at the end.

Last Exit To The Past – Very emotive piano intro. Into a Celtic-edged melody, delivered via a piccolo. Then that Bowie-esque vocal returns, confusing the sound and style, with its clashing tones and timbres. It just brings it down. Thank metal for the soaring riffs, bringing a touch of hope. The piccolo would work better in a folkier track. Ending on a piano solo.

Self Deception – That’s better. A groove riff opens, but sadly, the note of hope doesn’t last. Yet again, the ill-fitting synths and downbeat, oddball vocals wreck the tone. There are more groove riffs, tacking a funk vibe onto the edge, before they’re depressingly replaced by more droning synths and vocals. They do get to close it, but the track’s already wrecked.

Through The Night – A beautifully sensual riff and keys intro, painting a portrait of velvet images and sounds, before they’re hastily replaced by more Bowie-esque vocals and downbeat synths, but they’re sporadically combined with softer female vocals. It’s just way more pop than rock and there’s quirky, but this is taking it too far. Once again, it’s the riffs that save the day. Fading out, on an eerie female harmony.

Voices Of Doom – Ethereal atmosphere and Celtic instruments open, with a gorgeous melody. It then dips down, into the deeply dredged male vocals, joined by the higher pitched female vocals, actually working quite well together. A strangely Rammstein-esque line infiltrates it, occasionally. The Celtic instrumentation’s very appealing, lending light and hope to the track. As incongruent as the title and sound are, the main melody actually works. It’s another well-defined ending.

Swan Song – A low, down tuned riff intro’s, with a mysterious aura surrounding it. The bizarre Bowie-esque vocals return, which do actually suit this track. Joined by the lightness of the female vocals, they harmonise very decently. Good finger-picking fretwork. Still a darkly nostalgic track. It gets deeper and darker, in places, but lighter, in others. Exploding into a powerful mid-section, featuring heavier accompaniments. As ever, it’s the riffs which bring it up, with their colourful melodies. The voices soar, together. The lyrics are clearly felt here. Ending on a very poignant line.

Overall – A very melodic, but chaotically styled album, ‘LETTP’ moves through many different directions at once. Though bravely experimental, it loses focus, in the process. Whilst it’s largely well performed, the delivery suffers. Too much crammed into one album makes for confusion and chaos, detracting from the message, with mismatched styles and sections. In audio production terms, it’s good, but that same consistency needs to be matched in execution. Clear potential, which just needs streamlining.

7/10 ******* - Jenny Tate

Inception Of Eternity: kick off 2021 with new single, new video, new album! 

With the song "The Cradle of Darkness" Inception Of Eternity release the first track of their second studio album. Singer SINtana leads the listener through the uptempo gothic rock song with her versatile and distinctive voice, giving "The Cradle of Darkness" a unique and powerful expression with the mix of angelic background and dirty rock lead vocals. The single will be available to stream or download from all major online stores on February 21, 2021. The official video is available on YouTube now!

More singles and album teasers on YouTube:

Inception Of Eternity - Teaser - The Cradle of Darkness

Inception Of Eternity - Introducing Marc Vanderberg (Lead Guitar)

About the new album:

With the second studio album "Last Exit to the Past" mastermind Thorsten Eligehausen created a 15 track strong, musically extremely varied and genre-spanning album, without losing sight of the reference to the characteristic gothic rock elements. Quiet tones are as much an integral part of the album as rough and rocky compositions. Singer Ken Pike and vocalist SINtana take the listener on a musical journey with their extraordinary voices that is second to none.

"The creation process was - due to the two new contributing musicians SINtana and Marc Vanderberg - definitely more diverse. It was always interesting to hear how musicians of other styles listen to the demo of a song and what they then contribute to it, or how you understand their part", says Eligehausen.

"Last Exit to the Past" will be released on March 26, 2021 and is available as a CD in digipack, for download and also on all known streaming services. The presale of the album starts in selected stores parallel to the release of the single release "The Cradle of Darkness" on 21.02.2021.

Various merchandise articles of Inception of Eternity are also available via the store on darkSIGN-music.

Link: http://www.darksignmusic.de/?page_id=2876#!/

Follow the band on social media and these links:

https://darksignmusic.bandcamp.com/album/into-darkness

https://www.facebook.com/I.O.E.GothicRock/

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChweI5FGkVcvdtDl0pNcqvQ/

http://www.darksignmusic.de/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zL8V8PVzkwI2rYX5JNhT7