THE NIGHT ETERNAL is a German Heavy Metal band. With elements of Power Metal and some bit of pProgressive mixed in, not to mention some NWOBHM style guitars, this is a multifaceted group of musicians. "Moonlit Cross" is their debut full-length album. Released on November 5, 2021, via Van Records, it is sure to make an impression on anyone wanting some killer new music with lots of interesting influences.

I love a gloomy intro, especially if there is some seriously heavy music coming behind it, and this does not disappoint. "Manbelyst" is nothing but a eerie piano and anticipation, leading to "Elysion," a heavy riffed song with a nice galloping rhythm and some nice vocals that range from calm and melodic to powerful and distorted. This is how an intro is supposed to set up what follows.

"Son Of Sin" is the longest song on the disc, clocking in at six and a half minutes. The song starts with a tasty riff and some nice fill work over that by the lead guitar. Then they settle down into the main body of the song. Another galloping rhythm flows out of the speaker (or headphones) and takes you for a ride through a sonic wonderland. The lead guitar is busy, adding a lot of texture to the guitars. More distorted vocals provide some tension. This is a really nice, heavy song.

Heading down the track listing to "Prison Of Flesh," the vocals go deeper in timbre and the guitars get a bit darker on the bottom end. The rhythm is powerful. This is sure to be a favorite song live. The dual guitar work has a bit of NWOBHM flair that is sure to catch the ears of fans of old school metal. There is even a little punk influence mixed in on this song. Some of the vocal phrasing this a Glenn Danzig tone. That little bit extra is a welcome addition.

Wrapping the album up is the title track, "Moonlit Cross." The opening guitar work is really nice. This is my early favorite on the record. The leads are well-placed and have a great melodic feel to them. The vocals vary between crooned and almost screeched, showing much of the range he possesses. The rhythm section is driving this song like a well-tuned sports car. This has the catchiest tempo/riff combination of all the songs on an album full of catch riffs.

THE NIGHT ETERNAL is an excellent new band with a, hopefully, a very bright future ahead of them. Their songs are well written and played beautifully. They flow throughout the entire record, never feeling like a crazy group of individual tunes slapped together haphazardly. There is a linear theme that leads from one song to the next. This is one of the more impressive debuts of the year 2021.