Eternal Mystery was once one of the most prolific acts in the heyday of Christian grindcore in the late 90\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s, even if they remain a very underground act. Spearheaded by guitarist and vocalist Broc Toney (who would also be involved in a whole host of other Christian grindcore projects and splits, some with Felipe Diez III of Sorrowstorm and Rehumanize fame), Eternal Mystery is an inescapable presence in the 2000\u2019s Christian grind explosion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During their existence, Eternal Mystery forged a definitive sound within Christian grindcore, opting specifically for a goregrind style that utilized pitch-shifted vocals and punky, simplistic riffing all propelled by (more often than not) a very tinny drum machine. Hilariously labelled as \u201cfrogcore\u201d by one Youtube commenter due to Toney\u2019s bullfrog-like croaks and gurgled vocal delivery, the music can definitely border on the level of parody at times, but hey – this is grindcore, it’s not meant to be palatable. Obviously, something worked, as the band is still a big presence in Christian grindcore, with Coleosis Records re-releasing their albums and EP\u2019s, as well as collecting all of their split tracks on to one massive compilation as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, Broc would later leave his Christian faith behind and take a very opposite view to it all, much like Roger Martinez of Vengeance Rising once did. The opposite happens too; just look at guys like Fire of Fire Throne or Cullen Toner of Dawnbreaker. That said, it never makes it less tragic to see. But when you look at the lyrical content of Eternal Mystery, it\u2019s pretty clear that Toney was frustrated and outraged by the hollowness of televangelists, the outright heresy of the \u201cprosperity gospel\u201d movement and its scams, and the judgmental attitudes of others. I get it. Oftentimes, I\u2019ve read about the whole \u201coverzealous convert\u201d syndrome, and while I have no idea if Toney was raised Christian or a convert to a particular communion, perhaps he fell victim to disenchantment with it all. I am no reader of minds and hearts, so I have no idea. But it\u2019s sad to see such things happen, especially when one reads such heartfelt lyrics as these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPushed away by religious hypocrites I questioned the existence of the One who loved me \/ As I fell away I began embracing the left hand path \/ To live for myself Seemed very promising \/ Darkness Became my god \/ The very thoughts of Christ Brought me anger and hate \/ My misconceptions of the Lord Blinded me \/ What I didn\u2019t know Was the love of Christ \/ Christ is love Not hate \/ Denying myself Was the way out of my pain \/ Following Christ Became a joy \/ Out of the darkness I came And gave it all to Christ\u201d (from \u201cSwallowed by Darkness\u201d on Bruised For Our Transgressions<\/em>) Man, can I identify with so much in these lyrics when I think back on my own journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of its end, Eternal Mystery still remains a major name in Christian grindcore, despite their polarizing sound and hyper-underground production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, I\u2019ll be ranking Eternal Mystery\u2019s non-split releases in order from worst to first, as you\u2019ve come to expect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Flesh Separation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sporting a fresh line-up with new bass player Shane Carter and new vocalist Josh Cook, Eternal Mystery\u2019s last album saw the band dial back the goregrind extremes of their earlier material and go with a more dynamic, less gruesome approach. The problem is, at least in my view, is that their hideous minimalist approach to grind had a certain appeal to me, something which a clearer production and less crazy approach lost in the process. It\u2019s not bad, but I do find myself preferring the old style much more. Josh Cook\u2019s vocals lack the otherworldly approach of Kyle Gill\u2019s alien rasps and snarls, and love \u2018em or hate \u2018em, Broc Toney\u2019s bullfrog noises have somewhat of a charm after a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Means War<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This Means War <\/em>saw somewhat of a shift from the band\u2019s classic goregrind style towards a more conventional sound. It\u2019s goregrind meets the punk-infused grind sounds of The Right Wing Conspiracy. The issue for me is that Eternal Mystery\u2019s appeal lies in their sound being so ridiculously unconventional in almost every way. While This Means War<\/em> still keeps to the band\u2019s off-putting grind sound, it does introduce more punk tempos and structural elements that take away from the band\u2019s extremity a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ultimate Death Sentence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n By this point in Eternal Mystery\u2019s career, the band had become a solo project of Broc Toney entirely, with the freakish snarls of Kyle Gill very noticeably absent. Instead, we get guest appearances by Felipe Diez III of Rehumanize\/Sorrowstorm\/Encryptor and Gag of Vomitous Discharge\/Hell Bovine on a few tracks to give the album a little variety on the vocal front. Relative to other Eternal Mystery records, this one\u2019s guitar production is far better. That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s thick, by any means, but the riffs are clearer and just a touch heavier. The issue I have with this one is that Broc\u2019s gurgly vocals are just too ridiculous-sounding to take seriously most of the time, Usually, these kinds of vocals should have a more startling effect on the listener, but these sound like he\u2019s simply making squelch noises into a laptop microphone. It\u2019s a sad thing, because the riffs on here are a big step up in a big way. For what it\u2019s worth, even the croaking vocals would be fine if they blended in with the music better instead of being so upfront and prominent over the rest of the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bruised For Our Transgressions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eternal Mystery\u2019s second full-length was, in some ways, an improvement on their debut release, and in other ways, not. Vocally, the dualistic approach of Broc Toney\u2019s croaks and Kyle Gill\u2019s goblin-esque snarling remains intact, but are pushed a little more to the front and can overpower the music at times. Gill\u2019s creepy vocals are a bit more prominent on this one too. With Bruised For Our Transgressions<\/em>, you do get a similar album to their debut, but I just feel like it isn\u2019t mixed or executed quite as well, nor is it different enough from<\/p>\n\n\n\n