I initially did not like Eternal at all. I thought it was too far removed form the style that I fell in love with. I didn't know it at the time but Samael had been changing styles significantly with every album to this point, I would only find this out a few hours later when I went to check out Ceremony of Opposites and was shocked how different it was... even more so with Blood Ritual.
Going back to Eternal, this album took quite some time to grow on me, eventually winning me over to the point where I enjoyed it for what it was. There is nothing like Rain or Juperterian Vibe on Eternal but the album was good enough for what it is... and that is where my opinion stayed for many many years.
I recently revisited the album and I have to say I was a bit mistaken on several aspects of the album. First off, the song Together is just as strong if not stronger than anything off Passage. Easily one of their best tracks.
Secondly, the album's leaning into the electronic elements is a huge strength. The album feels slightly less human in the production and more towards the synthetic side of things. Normally I would consider this a detractor to the sound, but the songs themselves lean into this.
The riffs are a bit more mechanical, yet still full of emotion and power. The drums in particular are slower paced but highly calculated and deliberate in their execution. The vocals... well Vorph tries.
The album does fail pretty spectacularly towards the end though. Both Being and Radiant Star... are not good songs. They are terrible. It's a shame the album goes out on such a low note, because overall this is another excellent step in the evolution that was Samael.
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