SINGLE REVIEW: Eternalist – “Victims” [2014]
Artist: Eternalist
Single: “Victims”
Some things are constant—capable of weathering even the most daunting passing of days into weeks that accumulate into months and transcend into years. These things truly withstand the full brunt of time’s test, and as such, become adamant parts of modern life. Anger is one of these testaments to the Human condition—wrath, loathing, aggression and action, the manifestation of bitterness into something tangible; something like the debut single from Texan metalcore outfit Eternalist, titled “Victims.” Adequately enough, Eternalist unleash a full-blown firestorm of fury and chaos, turning the listener into just that—a victim—a statistic that will grow larger and larger, serving as evidence of the young band’s savant mastery of murderously crushing metalcore.
From beginning to end, “Victims” is a brooding, intense portrait of human depravity. It first sinks into the listener like razor-sharp teeth, plunging into flesh as if it were a starved hound’s drool-soaked maw. From there, visceral, low bass guitar and groove-heavy guitars shake the listener to and fro, refusing to relinquish them from its harsh, bloodsoaked bite. What’s worse? As the track progresses, so does the musical oppression that Eternalist initiated their assault with. The percussion gets more technical and fill-heavy, dotting the empty places between looming chugs with lightning-fast fills. These fills take a break from bludgeoning the listener with beefy, brutalizing blows to shear straight through bone as if it was paper. As the musicianship leaves the listener broken and barely clinging to the last strands of life left in-tact, the vocals take responsibility for delivering the final blow. The climactic conclusion to “Victims” sees the vocals taking their finely honed, throat-rending blade to the listener’s throat and scraping, pain-stakingly shredding every last strand of life-force left holding them in this plane of existence. Make no mistake, Eternalists’ debut track will, without a doubt, make the listener a victim.
For Fans Of: Barrier, Sworn In, Apex, Hail to the King, Beacons, Widow
By: Connor Welsh
