There are albums that drop, and then there are albums that arrive—haunting, urgent, and mythic, as if they’ve always been there, waiting for someone to unearth them. "Opera Ab Aeterno," released digitally today, July 25th, 2025, by the enigmatic Finnish project Parakletos, is the latter. This is not just a collection of songs: it’s a sprawling, twelve-act journey across the shadowed valleys of biblical history, told through the lens of symphonic black metal and the rare, burning sincerity of unblack metal. The result is both ancient and electrifyingly new—a record that feels both inevitable and shocking.
Formed in Vaasa, Finland, in 2004, Parakletos quickly earned a cult following for their blend of melodic and symphonic black metal, infused with overtly Christian lyrical themes and an operatic sense of drama. The project, helmed by Ljungeld—mastermind behind guitars, bass, keyboards, and main vocals—has always been more than a band. It’s an evolving musical vision, with a discography that includes the debut album "Offerlammets Makt" (2004) and the "Se Guds Lamm" EP (2018). After a period of dormancy, Parakletos returned with renewed creative force, culminating in today's release of "Opera Ab Aeterno".
"Opera Ab Aeterno" translates to "Opera From Eternity," and the ambition is clear from the opening notes. The album unfolds as a twelve-part dramatic narrative, charting a course through key moments of Christian and biblical history—the fall of Lucifer, creation, the fall of man, the flood, and the covenant. Each track is a movement in a larger symphonic arc, with recurring motifs, character voices, and a sense of scale that rivals classic operas.
The tracklist reads as a liturgical drama:
- I. Opera Ab Aeterno
- II. Satans Fall (Upadek Lucyfera)
- III. Skapelsen (Stworzenie)
- IV. Människans Fall I (Upadek człowieka – część I)
- V. Sång Av Ensamhet (Pieśń samotności)
- VI. Människans Fall II (Upadek człowieka – część II)
- VII. Brödradråpet (Bratobójstwo)
- VIII. Syndafloden (Potop)
- IX. Högfärdens Dom (Wieża pychy)
- X. Den Utvalde (Wybraniec)
- XI. Löftets Son (Namaszczony)
- XII. Opera Ad Infinitum
Each piece is meticulously crafted, moving from explosive black metal fury to haunting choral passages and somber, cinematic interludes.
Parakletos has always walked the uneasy line between melodic beauty and raw aggression. On "Opera Ab Aeterno," that contrast is sharpened to a razor’s edge. The guitars, all handled by Ljungeld, are alternately biting and atmospheric, while the keyboards provide both symphonic grandeur and eerie undercurrents. The drumming—performed on tracks 2-11 by the renowned Rolf Pilve—grounds the album with precision and power.
The vocal performances are nothing short of theatrical. Ljungeld’s growls as "The Storyteller" and "Adam" are joined by a cast of session musicians, each inhabiting biblical roles: Smaelek as "God," Joel Johnson as "Satan," Emma Backman as "Eve," Jakob Still as "Abel," and Kristoffer "Karg" Petersson as "Cain." Emma Backman’s soprano, in particular, lends tracks like "Sång Av Ensamhet" and the creation/fall sequence a tragic, almost sacred quality.
What truly sets "Opera Ab Aeterno" apart is its lyrical ambition. Parakletos doesn’t shy away from the darkness—indeed, it’s woven into the album’s DNA—but every descent is followed by a glimmer of hope. The libretto, sung in both Swedish and English, draws directly from biblical texts, reimagining familiar stories with a sense of dramatic urgency.
The album opens with the cosmic scale of creation and fall. "Satans Fall" is a tempest of rage and rebellion, while "Skapelsen" and "Människans Fall I & II" trace the rise and tragic undoing of humankind. The middle acts—"Sång Av Ensamhet," "Brödradråpet," and "Syndafloden"—are meditations on loneliness, brotherhood, and destruction. The cycle closes with "Den Utvalde" and "Löftets Son," which hint at redemption and the unbroken promise of grace.
"Opera Ab Aeterno" was mixed and mastered by Sami "Hannu" Koivisto, whose work brings both clarity and weight to the complex arrangements. The production is lush but never overbearing, allowing the emotional ebb and flow of the opera to shine.
The artwork, crafted by Zacharias Holmberg, is similarly evocative—a visual echo of the album’s epic scope, steeped in mythic imagery and subtle symbolism.
As of release day, "Opera Ab Aeterno" is still too new for extensive critical consensus, but early reactions among fans of symphonic and unblack metal have been overwhelmingly positive. Parakletos’ willingness to embrace operatic structure and religious themes puts them in rare company, alongside acts like Saviour Machine and Antestor, but with a distinctly Scandinavian touch: colder, grander, and more relentless.
"Opera Ab Aeterno" is available now on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Shazam, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music, and more. The album’s digital release ensures global accessibility for a project that speaks across borders and centuries.
"Opera Ab Aeterno" is an album that lives up to its name—an opera from eternity, for eternity. It is as ambitious as any metal album released in recent memory, yet deeply personal, wrestling with questions of faith, evil, loss, and hope. For fans of symphonic black metal, unblack metal, or anyone hungry for music that dares to reach beyond the ordinary, Parakletos’ opus is essential listening.
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„Opera Ab Aeterno” to album, który w pełni zasługuje na swoją nazwę – opera od wieczności, dla wieczności. To jedna z najbardziej ambitnych płyt metalowych ostatnich lat, a zarazem bardzo osobista – pełna pytań o wiarę, zło, stratę i nadzieję. Dla fanów symfonicznego black metalu, unblack metalu i wszystkich, którzy szukają muzyki przekraczającej granice codzienności – opus Parakletos to pozycja obowiązkowa.
Opera Ab Aeterno by Parakletos