This is the second full-length album by these Heavy Metal and Hardrock hopefuls located in Essen, Germany. The five-piece, led by the charismatic singer Ricardo, continues in the direction they took two years ago with their much-acclaimed debut “Moonlit Cross.” However, the new record raises the question of what genre the band truly embodies, even more clearly than its predecessor. Is it the Hardrock of the seventies, which drives the band, or is it the original Heavy Metal that turned the Hardrock world upside down in the early eighties? Both are undoubtedly important parts of the music of THE NIGHT ETERNAL, but on top of that the Germans’ sound transports something magical, something deeply dark, mysterious and a bit evil (‘Stars Guide My Way’ and ‘We Praise Death’). And it is singer Ricardo and the sound of his voice that transports these dark spheres and plays with them. His timbre and intonation of the words of the lyrics make you think of DANZIG, THE FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM and in some moments even of Jim Morrison and the legendary THE DOORS. Let’s not fool ourselves, Ricardo is the main defining element of THE NIGHT ETERNAL, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that genre names as Goth Rock or even Post Punk are named here, which enter into a fascinating symbiosis with Hardrock and Heavy Metal (‘Run With The Wolves’). The band very often plays twin lead guitars and works wonderful dreamy melodies into their songs, letting them become clouds that you want to throw yourself on to fly a little high in the sky. Letting the huge star-stones near the forest appear small below you, shining in the evening sun (‘In Tartarus’ and ‘Ionean Sea’). If your imagination is able to replace Ricardo’s vocals with a singer who sounds a bit like Bruce Dickinson, you’d have a pristine IRON MAIDEN song. Maybe without the gallopping bass guitar, but still pretty close (‘Prometheus Unbound’ and ‘Between The Worlds’). Well, try it! In the end, this record is simply a great piece of music. If you find a way into it, let yourself fall – it will catch you! www.facebook.com/thenighteternal, www.facebook.com/vanrecords