Eldritch
Portrait Of The Abyss Within

August 2004
Released: 2004, Limb Music Products
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Aryn

Eldritch is a band that is hard to define. I had never heard them before I received the promo for PORTRAIT OF THE ABYSS WITHIN in the mail so I read into them and apparently they are quite well known in their homeland of Italy as progressive metal. However when I listen to this I hear something more akin to melodic thrash with clean vocals, or a more progressive Nevermore. This is progressive metal for people who don’t like progressive metal, it retains enough progressive sensibilities without sacrificing songwriting or catchy riffs and it works quite well. The guitars are thick and huge, the vocals of Terrance Holler add perfectly to what could otherwise be fairly droll music. Songs like “This Everlasting Mind Disease” show a flair for catchy semi-commercial songwriting and fantastic soloing mixing odd scales and breakdowns and a catchy sing-along chorus. The ballad “Blindfolded Walkthrough” very much shows that this band can sit down and write a melancholy lament as well as burn through furious double-bass assaults and single-string riffery. Eldritch is a band that I will be paying attention to more in the future, and so should you.