A one-man (Luc Mertz) French exponent of under-lock-and-key black metal, this Zarach'baal'tharagh demo gathering is unthreateningly enjoyable. ?Eternal Darkness? is a fairly typically built genre release, albeit heavy on the ?musical? angle as opposed to the bleak end of black research. The lo-fi demo quality is a little shinier than the grave art would lead a listener to expect, the distance and devolution still an integral part of the genre aesthetic. The emphasis is on highlighting the song form over dread atmospheres - yardstick black riffing, ratchet drums and throat-damage over faux symphonic leanings. The strongest element on this sixteen track disc is the lead guitar playing, murdering the sort of playing found in most one-man projects. Every time it starts up it?s like a spark hitting tinder, the song becoming more feral and tenaciously hungry. Few one-man black metal line-ups have players to hand that can wreck lead guitar parts like Zarach'baal'tharagh. Shifting gears like a helter skelter on a gyroscope, this goes beyond mere shredding into the realms of mental-institution frenetic. As this is an anthology of sorts, it?s unlikely to have been concerned in showing a more experimental side to the act ? so it?d pointless faulting it for not doing so. Be good to hear some though at some point. 7/10 -- Scott McKeating (20 May, 2008)