Band:	Aeternus
Album:	Beyond The Wandering Moon
Style:	Blackened death metal
Release date:	April 1997

01. Under The Blade Of The Dead
02. Sworn Revenge
03. White Realm
04. Sentinels Of Darkness
05. Embraced
06. Vind
07. Waiting For The Storms
08. Winter Tale
09. To Enter The Realm Of Legend
10. Celtic Harp Solo (The Last Feast)
11. Black Dust [bonus]
12. Victory [bonus]

If it doesn't get your butt running of a chair and it doesn't make your heart burn it ain't metal. But if it does, and beyond all that it makes you see, for mere moments at least, beauty for what it is... in the roar of the fire and in the howls of the wind, then it's quite probable you're listening to Aeternus's "Beyond the Wandering Moon."

This is one of the most savage and yet beautiful pieces of music that I've laid ears on. The album kicks off with a disturbing, ominous piano piece, "Under the Blade of the Dead." The melody is slowly swept away by the cries of an icy wind, followed by the album proper, roughly an hour of very thick mid paced guitar work with outbursts of crushing speed here and there and plenty of slow, folk-ish passages (there's a lot of riffing with inspired folk-ish tunes to be found, too). It would take a few spins to catch the details, given the thickness of the sound. This however isn't a flaw. A clear production on this album would be like scattered pine trees that call themselves a forest. A great surprise was the Celtic Harp Solo. These guys really feel the rhythm, if I may say so.

One of the most interesting aspects is Ares's voice. He doesn't scream his lyrics nor does he growl in the proper sense. His voice is more like the roar of a bear, merging perfectly in the whole way the album feels. The lyrics range from the spine chilling oath on "Sworn Revenge" to words of honour as on "Winter Tale" and hails brought to Norway's frozen beauty. The album also features a track sung in Norwegian, "Vind" with the guest appearance of Svartlav's howls.

Some people may have a hard time listening to this. It's a very dense album that consumes the listener. But if you like deep stuff and you don't mind muddy production, "Beyond the Wandering Moon" has so much to offer (and don't forget the great artwork!).