For a moment I was thinking of labeling this release a Major Event, but then ruled decidedly against it. After all, if I personally consider Swedish Eucharist somewhat of a cult band, many may not even have heard about them. This is what taking 25 years between the albums will do to you. And then it wouldn’t matter if you were one of the originators of the melodic death genre, way too much time has passed for your brand to remain viable. Not to mention that other Swedish compatriots of Eucharist, getting their feathers on at about the same time, the likes of In Flames, Dark Tranquillity and Soilwork managed to popularize the genre and explode to international acclaim. Eucharist, just like Ceremonial Oath, however, fizzled away. (At least Ceremonial Oath went on to gift its bandmembers to both In Flames and Dark Tranquillity). Plagued by unfortunate label closure and numerous lineup breakups, Eucharist managed only a pair of albums, Velvet Creation in 1993 and Mirrorworlds in 1997. While both releases are the reason why Eucharist is considered by many to be a seminal band, I personally prefer Mirrorworlds because of its particularly sweet melancholy wafting over burgeoning Swedish melodic metal without resorting to outright gothic methods. And that was the last time the world really heard from the Swedes.

Alas, 25 years have passed and something stirred inside of Markus Johnsson to resurrect the band. Having reached out to Per Gyllenback of Regain Records, formerly of Wrong Again Records, resulted in I Am the Void seeing the light of day early in 2022. My expectations of Eucharist resurrecting the Mirrorworlds moments were promptly crushed, however. One listen to I Am the Void was plenty enough to realize we are dealing with a totally new music direction having nothing to do with prior history. After I managed to discard my expectations and started to think of I Am the Void as a new release from a new band, I was able to evaluate it independent of the old feelings and thus happy to share my opinion based on more than several spin throughs by now.

Eucharist 2.0 circa 2022 has left melodic death days behind and is drifting much closer to the Swedish melodic black metal style. Drilling cold unsettling alarmist guitar tones and lots of blasting dominate many songs here (Shadows, Where the Sinister Dwell, In the Heart of Infinity). This material is much closer to the likes of Naglfar, Marduk (A Vast Land of Eternal Might with its repeating riffs and vast desolate landscape) and in spots maybe even Dark Funeral without pompousness (In the Heart of Infinity). To this purpose Markus Johnsson secured the services of Simon “Bloodhammer” Schilling (of Marduk fame) and there is no shortage of blastbeats, pounding double bass and all kinds of aggressive drum beatdowns to combine with explosion of guitar shrillness on the album. Even what starts as a rawer midpace piece slips into bouts of blasting (Darkness Divine). It is as if Markus Johnsson, who I assume is the main songwriter here, not only had a long time to sit on his hands, but also was possessed with oodles of unmitigated anger, and I Am the Void is how that emotion manifested itself. Look at the song titles, and you will get the same Hell/darkside exploration impression similar to a Marduk album. There are some Vreid-like blackened thrash moments on the album (Goddess of Filth, Mistress of Nightmares, the opening of Nexion) to add ever more aggression to what is an already edgy display.

The melodic moments do exist and burst on the scene quite often, providing a wistful atmosphere in In the Blaze of the Blood Red Moon, offering a melodic doom progression in the middle of Nexion, or delivering absolute gloom in a double bass led ’Queen of Hades after an overdistored percussionless intro plays out. Yet it isn’t these moments, nor the closer title track which is probably the most atmospheric piece here, that I will remember I Am the Void by, but that incessant rage and fury that the album emits on almost every step. That, in and of itself, was not a disqualifying moment, but doing that practically non-stop for 76 minutes with some songs lasting almost 8 min with not that great riff variety (In the Heart of Infinity, Darkness Divine) left me somewhat exhausted. Older Eucharist fans need not apply here, and new ones will have to demonstrate stamina for a lengthy exercise in irritability and indignation that I Am the Void is, in order to get fully on board.