Acolytes of Eternal Flame is the highly anticipated debut album by Coffinwood, a black/death metal band from Warsaw, Poland. The unholy trio was formed in 2017 by Beherit (bass), Kumen (guitar), and Trommeslager (drums), and expanded their line-up in 2018 with the addition of vocalist Varulv.

Prior to the release of this new eight-tracker full-length, they released their debut EP, Storm of Steel (inspired by Ernst Jünger’s novel of the same name) back in April 2020. In 2022 another change occurred as the band has been performing live with its original line-up, with Beherit taking over vocal duties, supported by Kumen’s backing vocals.

Acolytes of Eternal Flame, released on 16th December 2024, consists of eight tracks of pure black & death metal mutilation. Like the case was with their 2020 EP (where they addressed the events of World War I), they decided to stick on a concept album formula once again. Thus, lyrically, the album is a tribute to the tragic events surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster. Or as pointed out by Kumen; ‘…the lyrics allude to the events before and after the reactor explosion, describing the chaos intertwined with the elusive melancholy and horror to which those who were thrown into the fight against the growing contamination were subjected.’

Tracklist:

01. Disposition of Doom
02. Radionuclide
03. Salvation Through Radiation
04. Acolytes of Eternal Flame
05. Biorobots
06. 90s
07. Exclusion Zone
08. Sacrophagus

What I like most about this record is the fact that it has a natural flow. We’re still talking of an extreme subgenre of metal, typically employing deep death growls, tremolo picking, blast beats, and strong lyrics and imagery, but the way they fuse elements of black metal and death metal is just flawless. The same goes for (powerful & listenable) production of the album, where it was recorded, mixed and mastered by Paweł “Janos” Grabowski at JNS Studio (Antigama, Dormant Ordeal, Hate, Hostia, Riverside, Symbolical). Powerful, and with a sense of details, cover artwork was done by Mieszko Jankowski (Morrath, Night Lord). I always appreciated when the band’s excellent graphic design has a direction to the lyrical content.

In terms of tempo, Coffinwood knows how to appeal to wider audience, offering a great variety. The trio never really forgets the power of melody, which means that harmonies and guitar descents can be found in all songs. It provides an effective and nice contrast to their otherwise extreme- and relentless blackened version of death metal. Extreme metal has always been a catharsis and exorcism of society’s demons for me, and that’s what the band’s music reflects here.

Ultimately, Poland’s Coffinwood are not revolutionizing the genre, but Acolytes of Eternal Flame is an exciting work that wraps the real apocalypse of Chernobyl in its fatalistic and atmospheric and pretty unique manner. Acolytes of Eternal Flame is actually a rather complex work that can be difficult to pick apart. In fact, as a listener, you get the most out of it by just sitting back and letting yourself be overwhelmed. Especially recommended for fans of Belphegor, Immolation, Hate Eternal, Deicide, Dismember etc. https://coffinwood.bandcamp.com/album/acolytes-of-eternal-flame

The physical album release is limited to 300 pieces, but you can listen to Acolytes of Eternal Flame in its entirety below.