It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person within spitting distance of heavy metal on the internet in possession of some dumbass opinion about power metal must be in want of having their dumbass opinion challenged. My own dumbass opinion about power metal is: It’s good. But just as for every Effigy of the Forgotten or Altars of Madness there are 500 D-grade chuggy dull-death pretenders, the world of power metal is replete with enough subpar chintz and mawkishness to make the keeper of five, six, maybe even seven keys quail.
Still, I much prefer to approach any new power metal offering from a place of optimism: I’d rather assume it will be good and let my tender heart be broken than presuppose the worst only to occasionally affect a posture of coolly impressed surprise. Germany’s Æternia, then, steps into this fraught emotional terrain with their debut full-length, Into the Golden Halls.
Things get off to an auspicious start with the speedy, “Ides of March”-inspired blaze of the “Ascending” intro, which leads into the sturdy crunch of “Dragon’s Gaze.” This first full tune showcases many of the moves that define the rest of the album: taut, rhythmic dual guitar riffing that lean to the speed side of power, thumping trad metal drums, sneaky little guitar leads that manage the counterintuitive feat of being both flashy and understated, compositions that buttress the fleet power with sections of heavy metal gallop, and Daniele Gelsomino’s powerful, slightly untutored wail. “Five Rode Forth” also stands out for its ultra-catchy Euro-power chorus and particularly tasty guitar solo.
But my friends, the true glory of glories here is that Into the Golden Halls packs all of this bluster and swagger into just under thirty-four minutes. That might feel like a back-handed compliment, right? As in, “the best thing about the album is that it’s over quickly”? What I mean, though, is that it’s a blessing these days to find an album that knows how to get in, make its point clearly, and get out. Effective self-editing – both at the song and album level – is a skill in music that doesn’t get as much play as it should, and I can guarantee you that Into the Golden Halls will make a bigger splash in your life at 34 minutes than it would at 50, even if those extra 16 minutes were made up of consistently strong tunes.
So, is Æternia for you? If you’ve read this far, I bet you’ve formed an answer for yourself that even wise-ass ol’ Socrates couldn’t poke holes in. I’d like to hear a little more from Sven Hamacher’s bass, I certainly wouldn’t mind a little more fiery panache from Hendrik Czirr’s drum patterns, and Gelsomino’s voice is strong but occasionally grates when he strains too much. But that’s just window dressing, right? I would love to close with something like “if you like tight, speed- and trad-leaning power metal, I don’t see how you could be sore about this tasty debut album from Æternia,” but heaven knows I’ve personally found innovative ways to get sore about nearly every damned thing under the sun. So maybe we need to go back to the top and ground ourselves in the present with optimism. Personally, I think Into the Golden Halls is strong and thoroughly enjoyable, and also that a (hopefully!) future album number two could be a real crusher, but I’m not letting the ‘what might be’ distract me from having a good goddamned time with the ‘what we can have now.’
Folks, that’s not a bad way to live.
