Alright, gang. I’ve been back from vacation for a few days now and I’m at least 25% caught up on life. So I think it’s time to fire up the Profile train again! Let’s spin the calendar back to late June and dive into Skinwalker (out through RPM), the seventh studio album from The Eternal. In the midst of all the chaos around me earlier this summer, this was one I completely missed. Shame! Because this international project dropped an absolute gem. It’s a dense form of dark metal that covers a ton of ground and emotions. Rather than trying to stitch together a bunch of adjectives in trying to explain it, I’ll just tell you that it’s a thing of beauty that is absolutely worthy of your time. It will take you places, basically. So from here I’ll turn it over to Mark Kelson (vocals/guitars) to share a bit more about The Eternal and what they’ve been up to. Side note: I bet you’ll appreciate the guest appearances on this album as much as I did. Video embeds can be found below while you read on, and all the other links you could ever need are at the very bottom as always. Enjoy!
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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?
I have been playing since I was about 13, so about 35 years. My stepfather was a guitar player in a metal band so I was exposed to lots of metal bands 13 year olds don’t normally get exposed to like Candlemass and Merciful Fate for example, so that was it for me, I was in, and it has been my main focus ever since. The Eternal formed out of the ashes of my long-term doom band Cryptal Darkness in 2003 and it has been my main focus ever since. I’m not sure if there has been push back but I think some people wondered what I was doing making this dark music that is not commercial by pop standards, but I’ve been doing it so long I think it’s just normal now.
How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?
We play Dark Emotive metal which is very melodic somewhat progressive with influences from early gothic and doom metal. We also have elements of cinematic and world music.
Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?
I’m not sure, it’s being very comprehensively covered, but maybe that the album “Skinwalker” has been recorded in 5 countries! Including Australia, Finland, Netherlands and Russia…
Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?
We toured Australia with HIM back in 2006, I remember it was our first big tour and we were very green, the roadies knew this as they were very experienced, so for fun they gave us a hard time and basically yelled at us the whole time we set up, I think it was some kind of test/hazing because by the end of the tour the same main roadie was hanging in our dressing room talking about when he did the “Hysteria” tour with Def Leppard. None the less we learnt how to move quickly!
What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?
I think something great is the accessibility for everyone to be able to make music and have access to equipment at more affordable prices than ever, it puts the process in the artist’s hands, however on the negative side this over saturates the market with a lot of metal that sounds the same or is homogenized, makes it harder to find unique high quality and original music, but that’s only a minor negative.
Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?
We don’t preach social or political issues and I prefer to keep that out of our music. But something I think I care about in our modern society is mental health which affects us all and seems to be at an all-time high with social media ruling our lives. More connected than ever yet in many ways more isolated than ever.
Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?
Yes, we are all sound engineers, myself and guitarist Richie, also lecture in and manage audio courses at Universities in Melbourne Australia. Niclas is an IT wiz by day and Jan, well his day job is Amorphis, but he is also a splendid sound engineer and producer.
What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?
Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?
Keep The Eternal on the move, tour for the new album “Skinwalker” and continue on recording our next album which is coming along very well! Long term I just want to keep my focus on building up The Eternal and making more albums!
When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?
I have been in the mood for Muse lately, I tend to try and buy a vinyl once a month, and that was my last purchase, I always have time for Porcupine Tree and I’ve been on a bit of a Dio and Rainbow kick. I also enjoyed the new track from The Radicant, a new project from Vincent Cavanagh.
What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?
We plan to tour for “Skinwalker” hopefully as many places as we can, and we have also started the process of recording our next album, so this will keep us busy!
Summarize your band in one word.
Emotive… or dark… damn that’s a hard one!
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Many thanks to Mark for the time!
Skinwalker is out now through Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). For more information on The Eternal, give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram.
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