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Well there you have it folks! The first true masterpiece of the year! Release number three and Into Eternity have put themselves on the map. An absolutely phenomenal album from these Canadians and one that truly leaves everyone else choking in its dust. All I can say is, suddenly the bar has been raised astronomically and there are now some huge shoes to fill if any other album is to measure up to this release and look eye to eye with it in 2004.

Into Eternity are a hybrid band (very common on Century Media these days). Of all the bands that seem to be transcending genres nowadays, many of whom suffer from serious syndromes of 'the suck', Into Eternity stand as the reference point for how it is done. "Buried In Oblivion" delivers a steady mix of Prog and Death Metal. And by death metal I do not mean melodic death, I mean brutal and aggressive death metal. Not only are the musical intricacies a treat for the ears, but the smoking riffs and sheer anger of the guitars and drums is a real pain in the neck (literally!;).

Comparisons are quite difficult to make as the sound here is very original, however, the band does seem to be influenced by the Dream Theater school of prog without the over extended pauses (Enter: the cookie monster and his evil clan whenever Dream Theater would normally pull out the dildos). Most tracks here hover around the 4 minute mark – the perfect length with absolutely no room for faggotism. Within those 4 minutes Into Eternity will range from the most sacred and complex song structures of progressive to the sheer all out aggression of death and even some black metal. These guys actually have black metal styled grinding guitars and blast beats in the background with prog/power styled vocals on them; it is just unreal and indeed very refreshing! There is still a little more progressive metal on here than anything else, however, 3 out of 4 vocalists here deliver the growls, snarls and shrieks in addition to the clear vocals of the lead singer, so there is a fairly healthy balance.

Pretty much every track here stands out (including the acoustic ballad which leads into the next smoking canon). Because there is a fair share of prog, it will take about 3 listens to truly start appreciating the disc; however, the songs are catchy enough to hook the listener in on first spin. This is the album we have all been waiting for all year, consciously or not. This is death metal for the prog fan who never could understand death, and conversely, this is prog for the death metaller who never got the big deal with progressive metal!

There really is not much else to add. This is purely a mind-blowing album in every sense. As original and complex as it is extreme and powerful. A true display of the magnificent art that metal is. In conclusion…hands down. Throw in the towel…..

Album of the fucking year!