Led by Sariall (bass & vocals), the Polish band Eternal Fear has been carving its path in the underground metal scene since their formation in April 2022. Joined by Vithal, Kajoo, and Keg, the band channels their diverse influences—ranging from At the Gates to Gojira and Death—into a powerful blend of death, black, and technical metal. In this interview, Sariall opens up about the band’s dynamic creative process, the deep personal themes driving their lyrics, and the dark, intense vision behind their highly anticipated debut album.
Serial Metalbums: Can you introduce Eternal Fear and share how the band came to life in 2022? What are the roles and musical backgrounds of each band member?
Sariall: Eternal Fear is actually a group of buddies. I'm me Sariall, Vithal, Kajoo and recently Keg joined us on guitar. The band was formed in April 2022, initially we played black metal with a shabby line-up. Some six months later Vithal joined and the rest joined at greater intervals, Kajoo in April 2024 and Keg in August 2024.
We are all from Poland, me and Vithal are from Zawiercie which is our band's home town. Keg and Kajoo are from Chorzów.
Serial Metalbums: How would you describe the dynamic between the band members during rehearsals or in the studio?
Sariall: To be honest we are very dynamic and we work a lot during rehearsals. In spite of frequent quarrels about the different parts we play, I think that we are a good team and if we want to do something, we will do it to perfection.
Serial Metalbums: What are your main musical influences, both as a band and individually? Are there any Polish or international bands that have particularly inspired your sound? How do these influences manifest in your compositions?
Sariall: There is no doubt that we take a lot of inspiration from At the Gates or Gojira in some of our songs. Of Polish bands, maybe I would only mention Hunter. You can hear a lot of inspiration in our compositions, be it later Death albums or Anaal Nathrakh songs.
Serial Metalbums: What was the writing and recording process like for your three singles? Do you primarily work as a group, or does someone take the lead in the creative process? What themes or ideas did you want to explore in these tracks?
Sariall: Vithal is a major commanding force in songwriting, he's a musical genius. He brings to rehearsals the material he has written and mostly everyone adds something from themselves. We try at our meetings to embellish what is already beautiful.
When Gods Die is a cover of the Zawiercie-based band (now defunct) FBF (Forever Burning Flame), the song is about what happens when the biggest deity in the world dies and the consequences of that. This god himself is supposed to be the greatest good for people and they don't believe in him anyway. I don't want to get into a polemic here about whether this is a Christian God, a Buddhist God or what kind of God. It is a universe invented by us. When the god and all his messengers die through lack of faith and trust from the people, Dantean scenes happen in the world and people see what has happened through their lack of trust in the deity.
As for The Altar of Conscience A piece written while being abandoned by another person in a rather drastic way. In my head it was suicide, no sense of anything and that this was the only way. This is exactly what The Altar of Conscience is also about. The lyrical subject is supposed to be experiencing an inner crisis that is slowly overwhelming her too much and she thinks that the altar of conscience (suicide) is supposed to be the only way to regain happiness. At the beginning of the text, there are reflections on earlier life and the joy in it, followed by reflections on life and its meaning. The person also reflects on continuing to live because there may be a particle left in the world for her joy. Unfortunately, she decides that this is unnecessary and prefers to take a shorter path. before committing suicide, she utters the words "forgive me savior" and ends her life on earth.
Born to None is one of the first songs to which the lyrics were written. The song is supposed to tell the story of a man with schizophrenia, who developed to the point where he felt he had a calling from nature to become a king. He flees the town in which he lives and goes into the woods, making omens and experimenting with himself. He is a murderer of animals and shows signs of insanity. He considers himself king of the whole world and nature. In the end, he takes his own life by hearing a voice in his head telling him to do so.
Serial Metalbums: Are you currently working on a debut album? If so, can you share any details about its progress or themes? Do you have any plans for touring or live performances to promote your songs or a potential album?
Serial: Our debut album will be a conglomeration of negatively ending stories. There will be a lot of violence, fear, anxiety and death. I wrote the lyrics for this album under the influence of the emotions and feelings I was feeling at the time. I included and left a part of myself in them, quite a big part of myself. I will tell the whole story after the album comes out so that we can talk about each piece individually. The released singles are only a piece of what we have done in our rehearsal room. On the instrumental side, the album will be very similar to bands like At The Gates, Death and Obscurity. There will be some Death/Black metal, Breakdowns, heavy and complex riffs and fast technical drumming. Sonically it will be similar to the released singles, only with a better recording quality.
Serial Metalbums: What are your thoughts on the current death metal scene, both in Poland and internationally? Are there any contemporary bands you admire or would like to collaborate with? In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the genre today?
Serial: there are still a lot of good bands. Unfortunately, these are times where it's hard for young and promising bands to break through. The old veterans are still on top, but you have to give the young ones a chance too. We have a lot of such bands in Poland, including Godslut and Faust. There are also bands such as Ass to mouth, Sceptic or Unborn Suffer, which definitely show that Polish Death Metal is not standing still. There are also a lot of good bands with potential in the world. Unfortunately today's standards don't allow everyone to break through to the mainstream. However, I hope that all the bands I personally support will someday come out of the underground. Thanks!