Cloak – Black Flame Eternal Album Review
Unleashing Dark Spiritual Force: Cloak's Black Flame Eternal Album Review
It’s Saturday, April 2 nd , 2022, and my band is driving up to Harrisonburg, Virginia to play MACROCK XXV.
We’re stoked. COVID is still hanging over everything, but it’s the first show we are going to play where it
feels safer and there is less worry. The lineup for the Heavy Metal Showcase at The Golden Pony is a
mixed bill with a decent variety of genres on display. We play our set, jam to the remaining bands before
the headliner, and watch as said headliner starts to set up. There were fog machines, candelabras, and
dudes dressed in leather from head to toe. I am grinning ear to ear because I am so ready for whatever
is about to happen.
What happened was Cloak, a black metal band out of Atlanta, Georgia with an old school sound and
heavy with riffs and groove. As the kids say, they were definitely a vibe. Kids say that, right? Cloak put on
an amazing show and had a real presence on stage. And all of that vibe and presence translates onto
their newest release from May of this year, Black Flame Eternal. The album is dark, brooding, and
empowering, to say the least. Cloak has stated that this album was meant to take what they have
learned about dark spirituality and “used it to move forward with force.”
On Black Flame Eternal, Cloak takes all of their influences from the past and moves them further into the
future, taking old school rock ‘n’ roll and metal and making it their own. They are a band with a clear
direction and that is very evident on this album. And that is not to say Black Flame Eternal is rigid in it’s
sound. Cloak has a very loose and live feel on this one, which is always a welcomed surprise on any
metal album. Black Flame Eternal sounds real and authentic because Cloak is real and authentic. If you
are looking for some new music with an old school bent, you really should give this album a spin.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Review by: Dan Perretta
Author Note: If you are unfamiliar with MACROCK, I highly encourage you to check it out. One of the
best DIY festivals I’ve been to. This year was it’s 26 th year in existence and has hosted some truly
phenomenal acts over the years (Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, and obviously, Cloak). It’s not just
metal either. There are acts from across the
