Band:	Ruadh
Album:	Eternal
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Folk metal
Release date:	July 2021

01. Break Of Dawn
02. Let The Pagan Fire Burn
03. Harvest
04. Fade To Grey
05. The Wheel

Eternity is a long time indeed.

Ruadh can't be accused of having a poor ethic with the release of their third album in as many years, with Eternal marking the third and latest addition to what is a strong discography. Showcasing the band's improving ability and quality, Eternal is the strongest member of this growing discography and one that will provide plenty of enjoyment for listeners.

Basing Eternal's thematic focus on the cycle of seasons proves to be a smart move as it allows each song to be diverse yet woven together with a common running thread. With the album starting off in Spring, you get a progressive album that moves forward without sounding disjointed from what came before it, closing with the summation track "The Wheel". While on paper it may not sound the most exciting prospect, credit must be given to Ruadh for breathing excitement into the resulting album.

Perhaps because it combines all the elements of the previous tracks into one package, "The Wheel" is the strongest track of the collection, a long and winding track that doesn't lose its focus and does a good job at painting a mental picture for you (and also, bagpipes). While "Break Of Dawn" is the weakest track of the collection, it pulls you into the album before the rest of the album hits you hard and in all the right places, with "Let The Pagan Fires Burn" marking an early high point that the album serves to build upon.

One mixed blessing Eternal has is that it isn't as immediately grabbing as Ruadh's previous work, such as The Rock Of The Clyde, though this is tempered by the fact that it made me relisten to the album many more times and I didn't lose any interest in it. If you are unable to dedicate much time to an album or want something quick and easy to digest, then Eternal falls short in this regard. It is upon repeated listens, however, that the depth and expanse of the songs sneak up on you, with each track having plenty of to digest and necessitating those extra listens to appreciate what may pass you by on initial listens.

The main issue I have with Eternal is that I feel the guitar work is somewhat bland; given that it is but one of many instruments that make up a track, it doesn't do much of interest yet is placed so high up in the mix. "Harvest" is a good case in point, where it is placed high up in the mix whilst being the least interesting element of the song. "Fade To Grey" comes close to remedying this towards the end of the track, but the early stages of the song feature the same problem.

Using the band's upward trajectory as a launching point to reach even further heights, Eternal is an album that should help spread the Ruadh name and establish the band to a wider audience. Though seasons may change, some things remain evergreen (or blackened in this case) all year long.