Band:	Cloak
Album:	Black Flame Eternal
Style:	Black metal, Heavy metal, Gothic rock
Release date:	May 2023

01. Ethereal Fire
02. With Fury And Allegiance
03. Shadowlands
04. Invictus
05. Seven Thunders
06. Eye Of The Abyss
07. The Holy Dark
08. Heavenless
09. Black Flame Eternal

As the gothic shadow dims, more aggression reveals itself.

Ever since Tribulation reignited the genre, I've been on the lookout for gothic metal that doesn't sound like what we've so far dubbed gothic metal. A lot of acts have also sprung up lately that have taken gothic metal into a more heavy metal direction more akin to In Solitude's, like Idle Hands/Unto Others, Lunar Shadow, or Sonja, but some have still kept some semblance of extreme metal within it. Bands like Nite, Slægt, Devil Master, and, most importantly, Cloak. Few of these felt like they had gothic metal as a primary genre, and as much as that's just being overly pedantic, it still felt like it was that gothic elements that was making these bands have the impact they did, just like Cloak had with 2019's The Burning Dawn (review here).

Is Black Flame Eternal fundamentally different to The Burning Dawn? Not really. The album still reeks of dark gothic atmospheres, guitar melodies especially carry that tinge, but the vocals move through more cleaner zones like whispers, shouts and choirs that carry a bit of that vibe as well. But it's a bit less direct in taking influences from that area. Cloak's black metal was always so melodic it was giddy, and that's something that worked well with the gothic touches, and with the more black 'n' roll leanings. On Black Flame Eternal the more melodic side is slightly more nebulous. It's still ominous the way Rotting Christ can be, but it feels less fun in a Wormwitch way, and more directly riffy akin to Dissection.

I know this review has been namedrop galore so far, but it's important to contextualize what Cloak are doing here, because they're playing with disparate sounds in a way that sounds pretty interesting. From the more folk ambient soundscapes of "Heavenless" to "The Holy Dark"'s intro that reminds of Motörhead's "Overkill" whose progressions leads to synthy atmospheres and D-beat aggression, to some Celtic Frost-ish oughs sprinkled throughout the record, Black Flame Eternal is pretty ambitious without biting more than it can chew. There's a balance between the sound's atmospheric quality, with its aforementioned ominous tone and it's choirs and mellow sections, a potent leaning towards more long-form songwriting, but it also amps the aggression within its melodies to create something that as somber as it is vicious. Naturally that makes for a really engaging experience.

Point is, this is some really well-written black metal. It's one that manages to find great balance between being indirect and being direct, both in atmosphere and melody, song structures and lengths, and in its vibes.