Causa Fortior

On its surface, Causa Fortior is not an incredibly adept offering, just another in an endless stream of European underground black metal recordings which do little to further or expand the genre boundaries or surpass its influences. However, these Greeks are slightly better at 'gunning for glory' than a number of their peers. The riffs are solid if repetitive, creating this harried vortex of desperation, the tracks almost unanimous in their airy warrior struggle. Admittedly, many of them speed along the same axis of pacing, and a particular ennui begins to set in, especially in the unnecessarily lengthy pieces which leave the 8-minute mark in the dust, but Causa Fortior is not exactly a mind-numbing bore, nor is it swollen to the point of no return.

What I like most about Eschaton here is the fibrous, raw thrust of their sound. As primitive as most of underworld acolytes demand from this medium, the earnest clap-trap of the drum kit meshes wholly with the bristling current of the guitar tone, and the decrepit vocals are given a wide swath of space over which to growl and grimace. This is one highly kinetic album, always pushing forward and rarely looking back or allowing the listener a chance to breathe, but that's not to say it's built entire of vapid blasting. "Transfigured Vision" has a decent thrash breakdown deep in the bridge, and "Steel Glowing in Darkness" is noteworthy for the streaming contrast of distorted bass and primary melody, while moving at a more belligerent mid-pace than many of its neighbors.

As I mentioned earlier, though, there are a few tracks in desperate need of some liposuction, namely the opener "Avenger, Dark Sun" and "Strength at Abound". The central riffs coursing through these are simply not among the more engaging on the album, and I felt like tuning out at numerous junctures. Cut down to 4-5 minute slices, they'd be far more effective. Overall, these guys are just not that strong at composing their guitars, so they rely heavily on the stratospheric rush of passion and atmosphere implied in their velocity. The notation wouldn't be out of place for their various, upper tier Greek contemporaries, like if earlier Varathron was sped up, but really, this comes off as another derivative of the Scandinavian school of philosophy. That said, Causa Fortior is a respectable, if forgettable debut full-length, its few moments of inspirational momentum outnumbered by its surges of somnolent sameness. Not bad, but not exactly teeming with merit either.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

This is just fantastic and another instance of exactly what I love in modern black metal: epic, melodic riffs with raw aggression and emotion, catchy and memorable songwriting, and production which provides a great atmospheric rawness with enough clarity to easily determine everything that's going on. Eschaton is fucking phenomenal and I'm clueless as to why the rest of the black metal scene hasn't picked up on them. Fans of bands like Hirilorn or Absolutus absolutely need to purchase 'Causa Fortior'; it's easily one of the best albums I've heard in post-'05 black metal and is a necessary part of any modern black metal fan's collection.

The pure savagery of this music reminds me of one of my favorites: Spite Extreme Wing. Eschaton's style is more purely black metal than that band, though, and there's no mistaking this band for some of the more melodeath or trad inclined bands that might appear in the Hellenic scene. There's a clear blend of Greek and Norwegian styles of black metal here, with the intensely melodic yet raw style of the former and some of the oldschool, Celtic Frost-leaning material of the latter. There's a great dynamic present between streaming, melodic tremolo riffs and more crunchy, oldschool rhythmic riffs, making for songs which are extremely varied even while rotating around a handful of basic melodic ideas.

The riffs are absolutely what makes this album: each and every one is just as killer as the last and every track opens with an absolute spear of a riff which immediately grabs and keeps the listener's attention. Eschaton is great at balancing repetitive, droning melodies with fast, twisting turns in speed or rhythm: the music is exciting and varied but never abrupt or inappropriately structured. Bands like Rotting Christ and Varathron are clear influences on this band, but there's a certain Nordic coldness to Eschaton which, for me, sets these guys above any of their more popular cousins. 'Causa Fortior' is simply massive despite how unassuming it appears.

Buy this immediately: it's one of the most worthwhile black metal releases I've heard in a long time. Fans from any side of the black metal spectrum should pick this one up; I can't imagine who this might disappoint.