Darkness unveiled in its most eloquent and elegant form… executed beautifully on this follow-up by this Norwegian three piece led by Ares and company. …as so the night became, an album that evidently shows a huge progression from its debut that consists of 8 tracks to bring their fans one of the best releases they have ever produced. Though this album has excellent packaging, it did take me a while to get into this album due to its diversity by adding more folk and classical influence in the music. The album starts off with a five minute chant-like intro which to me expresses the beginning of a ritual to the listeners ear before they venture into the world of Aeternus. Silence… the transition before the next step in this journey starts off with a drum roll that later transcends into a tranquil-like battlefield through the use of tympani’s. The album progresses from an eerie atmosphere to a march of war in a matter of minutes and progresses through such songs such as “Warrior Of The Crescent Moon”, “When The Crows Shadows Fall” and “Ild Dans (Fire Dance)” where the use of rich acoustic passages at the beginning of each song changes into a more latter state of multiple transitional moods. This overlaps along with keyboard passages underlying in the background while the gloomy yet heavy sound Aeternus is known for is still retained throughout the album with a much more raw ending than the first release. The journey ends with a Celtic-like instrumental acoustical piece structured in sonata form titled “Fyrndeheimen”; concluding the distant mystical and mysterious journey into the realm of Aeternus. …and so the night became is definitely a well-thought out album that reflects Aeternus‘s love of their folk heritage that has developed within. New and die-hard fans will definitely appreciate this masterpiece that I can consider to be one of the best releases of 1998. A double CD issue of this album has been released featuring bonus tracks from the 7″ EP.

Review byReggie