The Eternal Night: Cold Velvet

As the scorching heat devoured the summer, some people are already preparing for the arrival of autumn. In the heart of heavy horror’s persistent darkness, a pale light shines: that of The Night Eternal. On August 21, the German group lifted the veil on Cold Velvet, their third occult grimoire, which takes us on a journey where gothic reigns supreme.

Dark Magic and Romance

The long-awaited successor to their brilliant Fatale (2023), Cold Velvet wraps the band’s discography in a fresh cloak of mysticism. If the riffs feel less martial than on its predecessor, The Night Eternal places particular emphasis on atmosphere, with a subtle eighties scent. From the almost Bon Jovi-esque intro of “Caught In A Spell” to the hypnotic riff of “Watcher Of The Burning Veil,” the band gradually sheds early influences—early–Mercyful Fate—to embrace a darkness that is more romantic, more delicate, more melancholic, yet still decisively heavy.

Cold Velvet is also an incantation, an attempt to establish contact with an afterlife lost at the edge of the universe, where light does not survive and where only the mist remains. “Where This World Ends,” with its beguiling chorus, plunges us wonderfully into this universe. A punchy and enthralling single that sets the tone for this nocturnal voyage.

The Ferocity of German Mages

The recipe for this delicious potion? The baritone, nearly crooner, voice of Ricardo Baum, who guides us through dramatic labyrinths, while the melodies—sometimes spectral, sometimes leaning toward NWOBHM—and the guitars of Rob Richter and Henry Käseberg creep into our minds and never truly leave.

Meanwhile, Aleister Präkelt sets the tempo with his galloping drums, injecting an epic dimension from “Eurydice (Don’t Look Back).” His echo resonates through the entire album before truly exploding on “Shape Of Sorrow,” a Maiden-esque track with sulfurous drums, perhaps the heaviest piece in the collection.

If the album initially appears, at first glance, less heavy and less adventurous than its predecessor, it nonetheless draws you back with remarkable ease. Carried by its gothico-eighties melodies, both danceable and melancholic, Cold Velvet captivates with its groove and its atmosphere. An effective record that could well become the perfect soundtrack for autumn that will not be long in coming.

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