review by: Roberto Martinelli

Of Great Eternity is not a new Judas Iscariot record. However, I believe that this particular album was only available until now on vinyl. The material was recorded in 1997, back when Akhenaten was still playing all instruments, including the drums.

Relative to Akhenaten's infamously dubious drum skills, the drumming on this album is excellent. Sure he makes some pretty obvious mistakes here and again, but he manages to keep time well most of the time through slow and fast tempos.

In terms of the overall quality of the compositions, Of Great Eternity rivals Judas Iscariot's finest work, Heaven in Flames, and outdoes it in terms of the variety of moods and approaches to the basic Judas Iscariot formula. As mentioned before, some of the songs feature fast drumming and rock harder. Others exist in an ethereal limbo state, either with no drum accompaniment or with only high-hat and occasional, simple fills. To Embrace the Corpses Bleeding looks especially shoddy when compared with this.

Now there are two recommendable Judas Iscariot records in this issue of Maelstrom. If you haven't got the vinyl version of this, and whether or not you're a Judas Iscariot fan, you'd be advised to check this out if cult black metal is your bag. At some times I hesitate to call this album necro outright, as some of the guitars sound a bit full and warm to fit solidly in that category. However, Of Great Eternity is a true work of black metal minimalism. This last element is what stands between what could have been Judas Iscariot's best overall work. As the complete works stand, Dethroned, Conquered and Forgotten has the best sound, this one the most variety, and Heaven in Flames the best overall package.