Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Darkness Eternal - Misanthropic Annihilation - 2005 - Autopsy Kitchen Records

Track Listing:1. Misanthropic Annihilation 2. Cold... End... Dead 3. Darkness Conquers All 4. For All The False Promises 5. Suicide Unto Infinite Euphoria (Decending Into Forever II) 6. Unholy Trinity 7. Upon The Throne Of Eternal Blasphemy 8. Thy Will Be Done 9. Worship Us

When you think of a one-man band, you typically think of one of those misanthropic black metal bands that hate human existence and pretend that they know how to play every instrument enough to make a couple of records. Sure there are (and have been) some outstanding one-man bands such as Xasthur, Burzum, Leviathan, and Judas Iscariot, but there are more bad that just do not have what it takes to be extreme all by themselves. Fortunately, George Velaetis has separated himself from that group to create a devastating brand of blackened death metal in that of Darkness Eternal - a one-man wrecking machine that pushes the boundaries of extreme death metal and blackened thrash. With their 2005 release on Autopsy Kitchen records, Misanthropic Annihilation is a punishing 60 minutes of hate-filled anthems that are bound to torture your soul.

The album opener, Misanthropic Annihilation, starts with a grim narration that introduces the grimness to follow. With vocals that would have Will Rahmer (of Mortician) smiling, and a musical attack that will appeal to fans of Vital Remains and Naglfar, George Velaetis demonstrates his multi-instrument talents and satanic vision of lust and betrayal. The second song, Cold...End...Dead, is a technical masterpiece with plenty of blast beats and crushing blackened riffs. The third song, Darkness Conquers All, is a melodic fall into depths of hell as George finally belts out "Sound the horns, storm the gates. Wrath has come, who shall stand". The fourth song, For All The False Promises is my favorite track on the CD as it presents a nihilistic view on the fall of Jesus Christ. To accompany these tormented lyrics, George crushes all with his heathenish blackened attack. Next comes Suicide Unto Infinite Euphoria with a slower pace, but none less devastating than the rest of the CD. With a more black metal feel, the lyrics about slipping into an endless nightmare fit in perfectly. The sixth song, Unholy Trinity, is a ferocious song about an army marching into the gates of heaven and destroying everything in their path. Containing plenty of blast beats and black metal hooks, you'll want to join the army as well! Next comes Upon The Throne Of Eternal Blasphemy and another black metal attack on Christ and his devout followers of martyrs. Musically, this song reminds me of early Marduk - albeit with greater production. The next song is the 8 minute long, Thy Will Be Done. Containing awesome acoustic passages and crazy thrash riffs, this one will have you turning up the volume. The final song, Worship Us is a great album closer as it contains all the elements of death metal, black metal, and thrash to satisfy all of your metal desires. With both melodic and brutally crushing riffs, George makes his final statement that Darkness Eternal is a force to be taken seriously.

Misanthropic Annihilation by Darkness Eternal is a crushing album that blends the best of both death metal and black metal, to create a punishing take on metal in general. It is hard to think of Darkness Eternal as a one-man band because George Velaetis is exceptional at everything he does on this CD. Full bands need to beware of Darkness Eternal as George Velaetis and his one-man heathenish army are out to destroy all!


Rating: 4



--Grim Gaijin
Darkness Eternal - Misanthropic Annihilation - 2005 - Autopsy Kitchen

Track Listing 1. Misanthropic Annihilation 2. Cold… End… Dead 3. Darkness Conquers All 4. For All The False Promises 5. Suicide Unto Infinite Euphoria (Descending Into Forever II) 6. Unholy Trinity 7. Upon The Throne Of Eternal Blasphemy 8. Thy Will Be Done 9. Worship Us

I have long lauded the skills of Darkness Eternal mastermind (and sole member), George Velaetis, and shall continue to do so as long as he keeps releasing material of this caliber. On Misanthropic Annihilation, the man turns in more solid performances on each and every instrument than many bands with of a full lineup. We all know that scenario... a guy that can play guitar fairly well decides he doesn't need anyone else and can bash the drums good enough that he figures no one will notice or, even worse, gets a $100 drum machine used at some local music shop and programs it to play faster than any human being could ever hope to play. Such is not the case with Darkness Eternal... quite the opposite, actually. Not since the sadly-overlooked Bloodshed Divine has a one-man band turned out material this consistently good. Velaetis has a gift for writing creepy, dark death metal in the vein of Incantation, though more polished and not quite as chaotic, with a little of Voivod’s quirkiness thrown in for good measure. The project is not a showcase for his virtuosity on any instrument. Rather, Velaetis concentrates on writing good material, and the result is an album that delivers with each listen and never grows tiresome. Velaetis; Darkness Eternal is a powerful force in death metal and proof that there is still quality material still coming out of the underground.


--Al Kikuras 02.10.07