Band:	Eternal Oath
Album:	Wither
Style:	Death metal, Gothic metal
Release date:	March 2005

01. Behind Tomorrow
02. Death's Call
03. In Despair For My Sins
04. Godsend
05. Second Life
06. Within My World
07. Act Of Fate
08. On Bitter Wings
09. Fallen Virtue
10. At Your Hands
11. A Face In The Crowd
12. Wither

Yet another release from the Swedish label Black Lodge, and this time it's neither Heavy/Power nor Death (Thrash) we're about to get acquainted with.
Eternal Oath is a band that plays Gothic Metal with lots of Death influences, faster Gothic with growls and clean vocals mixed.

Eternal Oath is another of those old, but still very unknown Swedish bands out there today, formed in 1991 Eternal Oath started out as a traditional Death Metal band.
It took five years until their first release, the EP "So Silent" (1996) was released.
After that Eternal Oath has released just two full-length albums until now, when "Wither" will be their third.

By many mouths, it's said that Eternal Oath is one of a kind in Sweden, there's no band that has evolved this kind of music here, and that they are compared with large acts like older Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Moonspell won't do the talking less.
Personally I think that comparison is both true and not, Eternal Oath plays this Gothic that doesn't involve neither operatic female vocals nor über-depressive lyrics (even if depressive lyrics is what they have).

But Eternal Oath isn't a new Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride nor Moonspell, and I don't think they want to either. Even if there are similarities, I think Eternal Oath isn't that alike those bands, they aren't just playing in the same league.
Don't get me wrong here, I like all those three bands and I like Eternal Oath too, it's just that they aren't the same kind of band, and aren't playing the same kind of music.

Anyway, "Wither" is Eternal Oath's third full-length release, and since I only heard their past "Righteous" a few times I really can't say what change and how much they've change since the last album.
But what I remember of that album I have to say that this sounds much more promising.
Already from the first listening I grew stuck in "Wither", it touched me deep.

All the melodies, all the very fitting keyboards and the emotional growl-song was something I couldn't dislike.
And after a few spins I already had my favourite songs, all on the first half of the album, which easily is the best part.
Songs like "Behind Tomorrow", "Death's Call", "In Despair for My Sins" & "Within My World" are all pearls, even if the last on is my special one.
And then the production, damn it's good; it's so tight that my ears are about to cry.

But as all albums, even this has it's downturns, and on this album I would say it's the material on the second half of the album, none of those songs can really come up in the same quality as the first half.
But other than that, I can't really say that I find anything more that's bad here.

So if you're into Gothic with much Death influences, growls and stuff, this might be a new favourite.
I'm very attached too it and I know I'll listen to it much in the future, but then I'm a total Gothic-freak too, but the album is still very good.
I hope to hear many, many more great records from Eternal Oath in the future.
Hail Gothic, hail Eternal Oath!

"A second life, your hopes cry for a new beginning
A second life, in this tearing loneliness"

Check Out: "Within My World"!!!!!!! "Behind Tomorrow", "Death's Call" & "Despair for My Sins".