This release is the result of a (long-lasting) partnership in between two entities from Hungarian soil. At the one hand, you have the project Spellblood. It’s a solo-outfit by some Knot, who is behind the Black Metal project Kolp as well (and apparently Kolp did release a new album very recently, after a hiatus of many years; something to be aware of for sure). At the other hand, the label behind this specific release, Kajdum’s Tower, is a division of NGC Prod. And hey, both Kolp and NGC Prod have a historic relationship going on too, so this collaboration is not a silly coincidence.
Spellblood differs from Kolp’s sonic approach, but it surely does fit to Kajdum’s Tower’s roster. I will come back to that aural content immediately. First some dry, objective propaganda. Where Darkness Is Eternal consists of six tracks, which do clock about half an hour. The result is available via the contemporary digital sources, as well as on tape. There is the ‘normal’ cassette edition and a special one released in a wooden box. Both of them are quite limited, of course. The artwork is simple yet appropriate, with a plain black-and-blue palette, created by MT of Lily Of The Valley (also on Kajdum’s Tower’s roster, by the way).
This (way too) short recording breathes a sense of mystique, of adventure and introspection at the very same time. All tracks are quite different from each-other, yet they do maintain a specific recognizable touch of elegant mastery. A nice aspect is the well-thought balance in between an almost claustrophobic soberness at the one hand, and an enlightening brightness at the other hand. Many layers of analogue synth-driven melodies float well together, weaving aural soundscapes of mysticism and grandeur. Piano-like additions, empowered drum-patterns, acoustic strings and hidden waves of keyboard-elegances at the back ground enrich the sonic story called Where Darkness Is Eternal. Sometimes things turn into obscured proportions, then again this Dungeon Synth based material touches the sweetly-caressing borders of Dark Ambient in an almost cinematic way, and at certain points victorious and heroic story-telling takes over the integrity of other fragments and excerpts.
The whole is quite darkened in ésprit, yet it does not turn into – or towards – a purely blackened analogy at all. It’s rather like a moonlit night than some totally endarkened midnight’s doom. Yet still, the whole exhales a certain, and very fine, dimness, which suits well to the adventuresome, grandiloquent narration. Where Darkness Is Eternal got performed / recorded in a totally instrumental manner (no voices whatsoever are involved), yet the attentive listener will surely comprehend the story behind it – or (s)he will make his / her own tale, evidently.
https://kajdumstower.bandcamp.com/album/spellblood-where-darkness-is-eternal
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/aranea-telam