Parakletos; Opera Ab Aeterno | The Grandeur Of The Extreme
(2025 – Soundmass)
We had already discussed Parakletos in our review of the reissue of their first album, “Offerlammets Makt” (2004), and now the time has come to listen to, enjoy, and analyze “Opera Ab Aeterno,” their second studio album, which took approximately 18 years to produce! And it wasn’t until 2025 that this album finally saw the light of day on CD, via the Soundmass label.
The reason for the time taken to produce this album is something that can only be answered by the genius and creator behind Parakletos, Ljungeld—who is none other than our friend Niklas Buss, a fantastic multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who breathes life into every part, every instrument, and every chord of what we hear on this fabulous album. On this occasion, he is joined by several guest musicians, including Rolf Pilve on drums (Stratovarius), Smaelek (who had previously contributed to “Offerlammets Makt”), Joel Johnson, Emma Backman, Jakob Still, and Kristoffer “Karg” Petersson. All of them—except for Pilve—lend their voices to various characters within the story found in “Opera Ab Aeterno,” an album presented as a concept album with a truly interesting theological and spiritual theme.
Back in 2019, Parakletos had released some of these songs as an EP titled “Opera Ab Aeterno I”; however, we now have the chance to hear the complete album, a sort of “opera” in which each song follows a structured narrative centered on a single theme.
The sound largely follows the musical direction already established on “Offerlammets Makt,” but with infinitely superior production. Parakletos’s Black Metal is rooted in classical, symphonic, and even atmospheric and evocative elements, with a tendency toward grandeur in every note and chord. “Opera Ab Aeterno” is practically—and without meaning to be redundant—an opera of guttural and furious vocals, accompanied by magnificent orchestrations and violent guitar riffs that reinforce and complement its intriguing concept, which, of course, bears those unmistakable hallmarks of Nordic Extreme Metal.
The album opens with an intro titled, like the album itself, “Opera Ab Aeterno,” serving as a sort of introduction to the atmosphere Parakletos sets forth, which unfolds with the tremendous and fierce “Satans Fall,” featuring overwhelming riffs, embellished by powerful orchestrations and operatic choruses—very much in the style of Dimmu Borgir—that set the stage for the beginning of the story presented by Parakletos.
“Skapelsen” is essentially a piece that delves into the realm between the epic and classical music, given the structure of its composition and its lyrical flight. With a heavy, pounding foundation and orchestration built around various keyboard sounds, this track offers beautiful, atmospheric Black Metal melodies, with different passages that flow seamlessly into one another with a clear and precise vision. The first part of “Människans Fall I” continues in this vein of classical music combined with the aggression of Black Metal.
One of the calmest and most contemplative moments comes with “Sång Av Ensamhet,” a sort of epic ballad featuring classical guitars and epic/medieval undertones, accompanied by the beautiful vocals of soprano Emma Backman in a track that serves as a sort of interlude between the two parts of “Människans Fall.” What follows is precisely the second part, but now with the interplay between the aggressive, guttural vocals and Emma Backman’s voice, in a sort of aggressive outburst of heavy riffs that push the music to the very limits of what’s imaginable in terms of extremity and symphonic elements.
“Brödradråpet” is, plain and simple, a piece of classical and quasi-folkloric/Nordic music, featuring heavy blast beats and Parakletos’s signature symphonic lines. With “Syndafloden,” we could say that things escalate and become much more complex; at a moderate pace, with a heavy, well-defined foundation and a slight climactic/atmospheric intent, this is where Parakletos draws on everything at its disposal within its unique style—even incorporating an operatic approach, in a way.
But if we’re talking about epic and pretentious elements—always on a musical level—“Högfärdens Dom” also has its own charm, though ultimately, this is where the extreme side of Parakletos resonates much more virulently, beyond the orchestral overtones of their sound. And then there’s “Den Utvalde,” another excellent track where the Nordic character of Parakletos’s black metal sound makes its presence felt and stands out throughout the song’s progression, even with those foundations so heavily inspired by classical music that likewise lend it a spectacular framework.
“Löftets Son” is a kind of anthem infused with the brutality of Symphonic Black Metal, featuring rich melodies and diverse harmonies woven into its composition—almost like an extreme prayer that becomes magnificent, perhaps representing the pinnacle of creativity and complexity in Parakletos’ music. The riffs soar with an intensity that matches one of the most climactic moments of “Opera Ab Aeterno”, which culminates in “Opera Ad Infinitum”—a somewhat grandiloquent, instrumental epilogue featuring excellent guitar solos and riffs in a unique atmosphere that serves as a fitting conclusion to a work that stands out for its quality and ambition.
Compared to their previous album, “Offerlammets Makt,” while Parakletos maintains a similar approach in terms of compositional structure and style, here there is a clear effort to bring coherence to the entire narrative that unfolds throughout “Opera Ab Aeterno,” and the orchestral arrangements add a great deal to the album. The orchestral elements lend a unique atmosphere to each song on the album, and the work done in terms of sound production, mixing, and mastering achieves a great balance between the orchestral elements and the super-heavy, fast-paced foundation of Parakletos’ Black Metal.
As one might expect, Ljungeld is the multi-instrumentalist and one-man band who handles everything, except where otherwise noted. The 18 years of work that went into producing this album have clearly paid off. Sung almost entirely in Swedish, according to Ljungeld, the idea was to prepare an English version, but that would have taken much longer—which is understandable.
The cover art is simple yet striking—the kind of illustration that invites you to decipher its meaning. Furthermore, the physical edition comes with an insert booklet where the lyrics stand out against illustrations that align with the themes of each song and, of course, the album’s central concept, all presented with high-quality graphics, which gives the physical edition far more substance than any digital version (in reality, physical media is always better).
Ljungeld took his time; it was worth the wait. “Opera Ab Aeterno” is a great work that takes black metal toward expressions much more closely tied to classical, orchestral, and grand music—in a sort of “opera,” to be precise—providing a special framework for the unfolding story. Will there be a second part? Will Ljungeld take just as long to develop something like that? Time will tell. Parakletos has its “Opera Ab Aeterno,” and believe me, it’s worth taking the time to give it a listen…
In the meantime, we’ve included a lyric video for the track “Syndafloden” from this album below, and as always, here are the social media links where you can follow everything related to Parakletos…
https://www.facebook.com/parakletosofficial
https://www.instagram.com/parakletosband
