In Aeternum – …Of Death and Fire

After years of inactivity, Soulseller Records proudly presents the new studio album from a Swedish black/death/thrash combo – In Aeternum. Founded in the early nineties, this unholy trio returns with a new (fifth) album entitled …Of Death and Fire. The album, with a runtime of 43 minutes, features eleven tracks on the CD.

After the first spin, …Of Death and Fire sounds mature and thoroughly consistent collection of the songs, where the trio consisting of David Larsson (vocals & guitar), Daniel Sahlin (lead guitar & bass) and Perra Karlsson (drums), demonstrates a solid aggression in line with its 2005 predecessor, Dawn of a New Aeon. What does it mean in reality? Well, I’m hearin’ eleven tracks of ripping and thrashing blackened death metal which almost sounds like it was recoded twenty years ago! Having in mind that new album has been recorded with the same line-up from 20 years ago, it appears ceherent, consistent and among the top contenders for a spot among a top ten extreme metal albums of the year 2026.

Obviously, there’s some variation and different elements within each of the individual songs, but something that is common for the whole album is its ability to combine raw black/death metal with intense thrash riffing. When paired with the intense (featuring prominent death growls) vocals and an energetic & fantastic drumming, then you get a premium and exceptional blackened/thrashing sonic onslaught like this one. The lyrical content on …Of Death and Fire deals with Satanism, anti-Christianity, blasphemy, death, hatred, darkness and similar themes.

Standout tracks from …Of Death and Fire for me include “Spirits of the Dead”, due to its speed and heavier sounds firmly rooted in 90s Swedish death metal. Next killer track is “Bow to None” which features even more aggressive, ruthless, violent and sharper sound, with moments that sound more towards a death/thrash than their usual black/death sound. Finally, the album’ closer “To Those That Have Rode On” (featuring Erik Danielsson of Watain). This final song opens with an acoustic guitar courtesy of Mira Sahlin, then proceeds to a melodic yet dense and dark sound, employing melodic riffs. It contains a long and atmospheric closing section that serves as an excellent epilogue to the album. The sound is wonderfully tight, clean and exciting, featuring an organic production. The atmosphere tends to deepen and turn increasingly savage, forging a merciless wall of sound upon us. Artwork is done by Belial Necroarts and a photography by Magnus Eklund Izarra.

…Of Fire and Death is a triumphant return to form following the band’ 20-years long hiatus. These veterans of Swedish extreme metal definitely still know how to do create an engaging, fast-paced and ripping black/death metal opus, and I condider their fifth full-length …Of Death and Fire to be the best evidenced of it. With three consecutive repeated listening, it feels as …Of Death and Fire began to grow on me, and I caught myself in discovering new small details with each new spin.

Let …Of Fire and Death take you on a journey. Hail darkness, hail death, hail fire! Highly recommended for fans of Dissection, At The Gates, Sacramentum, Enthroned, Marduk, Bathory and similar pioneering extreme acts from the nineties. Meanwhile, as you’re reading more details on this particular release here, you can watch a full album premiere bellow.