Review by Felix on December 11, 2023.

Here comes Dethroned, another black metal formation from Germany that intends to implement fear in the hearts of the audience. A Bridge To Eternal Darkness is suitably released by Dominance of Darkness. This completely dark surrounding is a first indication that we cannot expect much more than generic black metal. And that’s the way it is. This approach can be very exciting, but it can also be somewhat tiring. A Bridge To Eternal Darkness, the second album of my compatriots, has found its place somewhere between these poles.

The technical preconditions are okay. The album scores with an appropriate, solid sound, although the drums, especially the snare, could be a bit more powerful. Anyway, the guitars are in the driver’s seat and the diabolic voice joins the endless ranks of similarly sounding genre vocalists. Charisma is a rare commodity here, but the vocalist also does not disappoint. The music itself is slightly more problematic. The opener 'Come To Me' with its flattening guitars and the galloping drums sounds promising and menacing. The legions of the devil seem to be on another unholy crusade, but the quality of the opener does unfortunately not represent the class of the entire album. Already the next track falls by the wayside with its loose melody line and its lack of exciting moments. Too bad that more tracks, 'Colour Out Of Space' for instance, suffer from the same disease.

A general problem of the album is the lack of intensity. Of course, there are some parts where the band unleashes a musical storm, but compared to Marduk’s “Memento Mori” or similar works, Dethroned’s storm is just a heavy breeze. Of course, there is not only one way to perform black metal, but here is no compensation for the low degree of intensity. Paradoxically, some parts of the thrilling cover version at the album’s end shows how it could have been much more intense. A few atmospheric sequences seem out of place and do not add value to the material. And any kind of unique elements (think of Malokarpatan’s “Vetumnus Caesar”) does not show up as well. I regret this, because the band has the potential to write strong, coherent and well flowing songs. 'Ruf Der Tiefe' is a strong number, with driving guitars and a more or less memorable chorus. But three impressive songs alone do not shape an impressive album, right? Aggravating the situation, some parts just do not work, for example the solemn vocals at the end of the title track.

All in all, A Bridge To Eternal Darkness leaves more room for optimization than I thought. It’s definitely no useless work and I do not have the feeling that I have wasted my time while diving into the full-length. Nevertheless, in view of the constantly flooded market, I fear this album will fall on deaf ears.

Rating: 5.8 out of 10