Interview by Ali Williams
There are easier ways to run a band than placing half of it in Melbourne and the other half in Finland. THE ETERNAL have apparently decided ease is overrated.
For guitarist/vocalist Mark Kelson, geography has become one of the least complicated parts of the equation. More than two decades into THE ETERNAL, he is preparing to release the band’s eighth studio album, Obscured Horizons, while returning to Australian stages alongside AMORPHIS. The record was built between Melbourne and Helsinki by a lineup Kelson describes as the band’s most stable, collaborative and creative yet.
THE ETERNAL now operate as a genuinely Australian-Finnish band, with Kelson and Richie Poate (guitar) in Australia alongside Niclas Etelävuori and Jan Rechberger in Finland. Their sound still sits firmly in dark melodic metal with progressive elements, although Kelson is not particularly interested in spending too much time arguing over genre labels.
Obscured Horizons was already taking shape before predecessor Skinwalker was released, and this time THE ETERNAL deliberately tightened the reins. A band with no historical objection to 20-minute songs has become more selective about what each track actually needs.
“If you want 20-minute songs, go to our back catalogue,” Kelson laughs. The greater shift, however, is lyrical.
Skinwalker dealt heavily with narcissistic behaviour, manipulation and removing destructive people from your life, written during a particularly difficult period for Kelson that coincided with Melbourne’s prolonged COVID restrictions. Obscured Horizons begins after that damage. Kelson stopped drinking three years ago after recognising his alcohol use had become increasingly unhealthy toward the end of the pandemic. The new record reflects the changes that followed and the idea of refusing to let negative experiences dictate where you go next.
“Don’t let the negative things obscure your horizons of where you’re going,” he explains.
That does not mean THE ETERNAL have suddenly abandoned melancholy in favour of motivational posters. Kelson still sees enormous value in darker music, but his relationship with it has changed. Earlier records were written while he was immersed in depression; now he wants the lyrics to acknowledge those feelings without suggesting there is no way through them. “We’ve all dwelled in our depression, and of course that makes good music,” he says. “I’ll still always write music from a darker perspective with the band… but lyrically, I want to write something with some depth.”
The international lineup has also reshaped THE ETERNAL musically. Their relationship with Finland stretches back to 2004, when their debut album was released through a Finnish label. Years of touring and friendships eventually connected Kelson with Etelävuori and Rechberger. When THE ETERNAL lost their rhythm section after a 2019 European trip, Kelson contacted the pair during COVID and asked whether they wanted to play on the next record.
Despite the distance, the arrangement works remarkably well. All four members are sound engineers, allowing recording, production and ideas to move easily between studios. They also spend time together in person each year, with Obscured Horizons recorded and arranged across Helsinki and Melbourne before being mixed in Australia. Importantly, songwriting is now far more collaborative. Rechberger and the Finnish members contributed complete demos, bringing a distinctly European approach to arrangement and melody. Kelson admits there were initially moments where both sides wondered what the fuck the other was doing, but those differences eventually became part of the band’s identity.
“The combination of the two, I think, does create something a little bit unique,” he says.
Finland has consequently become something close to a second home, while Australia has sometimes been harder territory for THE ETERNAL. Kelson believes the band traditionally found greater acceptance overseas, with local audiences often favouring more extreme metal, although he feels that is slowly changing. They now return home at exactly the right moment.
THE ETERNAL will join AMORPHIS for an Australian run in September, beginning at Melbourne’s Croxton on September 23 before Brisbane’s Triffid on September 24, with Sydney and Canberra also included. The tour coincides with the release of Obscured Horizons, putting the band’s next chapter directly in front of Australian audiences. After 25 years, eight albums and a lineup stretched across opposite sides of the world, Kelson’s priorities sound considerably clearer than they once did. Keep making records. Keep evolving. Keep the darkness where it serves the music, but don’t live in it.
Obscured Horizons is less about forgetting what happened than refusing to let it block the view ahead and will be released on September 18 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). For tickets and more info head to https://the-eternal.com
THE ETERNAL Australian Live Dates, with AMORPHIS:
September 23, 2026 The Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, VIC
September 24, 2026 The Triffid, Newstead, QLD
September 25, 2026 Liberty Hall, Moore Park, NSW
September 26, 2026 The Basement, Belconnen, ACT
Tickets: GA and VIP Tickets Onsale now from www.yourmatebookings.com
