Course Of Fate’s Latest LP Is A Unique, Welcome Addition To 2026’s New Hard Rock/Metal Albums Field

By: Philip Sayblack / Phil's Picks
​Late last month, progressive metal outfit Course of Fate released its latest album, Behind The Eclipse to the masses.  The band’s third album, this 45-minute record is a presentation – released via Rock of Ages Records (a division of Reigning Phoenix Music) – that is certain to appeal to most prog-metal fans.  That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements.  The lyrical themes that accompany said content adds to the album’s appeal.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole.  Each item noted is important to the whole of this record.  All things considered they make Behind The Eclipse a welcome early addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Behind the Eclipse, the latest full-length studio recording from Course of Fate, is a strong new offering from the rising progressive metal outfit.  That is proven in part through its featured musical arrangements.  From its opener to its end, the musical arrangements featured in the album’s eight total tracks are of importance because of their familiarity in sound and style.  Throughout the majority of the record’s eight total songs, audiences can clearly hear a stylistic approach that blends the best elements of Dream Theater and Evergrey.  That is just one of the interesting points in the album’s musical presentation.  Late in the album’s run, audiences get something even more unique in ‘Hiding From The Light’ that takes the album in a completely different direction what with its electronics, keyboards and death metal growls.  To a point, one could argue a comparison to works from the likes of Rage here.  Even more interesting, there are also points throughout the record in which vocalist Eivind Gunnesen’s delivery is comparable to that of Fates Warning front man Ray Alder.  As if everything noted is not enough, ‘Memories,’ the album’s 10-minute opener actually features a “movement” that sounds like classic Pink Floyd gone totally prog-metal.  It is such a surprisingly engaging and entertaining moment that stands out in the bigger picture of this album.  Overall, what audiences get from this album’s musical content is a presentation that forms a solid foundation for the record.
Building on the foundation in question is the lyrical content that accompanies said musical material.  Information provided about Behind The Eclipse states that dark and light are used throughout the album’s lyrical content and that is evident early on in the album’s title track.  Co-written by Gunnesen and guitarist Kenneth Henriksen, the song notes the darkness as that of the state of the world.  The light is there, as the narrator points out, but also asks, “Do we need darkness/Isn’t light enough?”  The narrator continues, “In the end it all comes down/It cracks and burns/And tears away the light.”  In the song’s chorus, the narrator even more directly notes the darkness, stating, “Close your eyes child/It burns eternally/Feel the silence and turn away/Witnessing a world beyond repair/Light shines from the circle/Turn your eyes away/Their silhouettes embracing/Turn your eyes away/Their burning hands are reaching/Turn your eyes away/From a world that is ending/Turn your eyes away/And all the earth will fade and die/And pass away/The moment’s lost/And we forget that all is decided.”  To say this is nihilistic is putting it lightly but one must remember that it seems like all of this is bring approached with a certain amount of cynicism and sarcasm.  It is in the bigger picture, a reminder that the light is there while also openly commenting on the negative state of the world, delivering a clear sense of anger and frustration at that situation.  At least that is this critic’s interpretation.  If it is in fact somewhere close to being accurate, then what Gunnesen and Henriksen have done here is taken a familiar theme and given it a whole new approach that definitely will get listeners thinking.
Another example of what makes the album’s lyrical content so interesting comes in the record’s midpoint, ‘So It Goes.’  Written solo by Gunnesen, this song seems to approach the use of light and dark as it seems to tell the story of a young woman who is alone in the world but who is not letting her situation get her down.  This is inferred as Gunnesen sings, “A  child without a mother/A soul without a friend/Without someone to cling to/On the path towards the end/She has no hand to grasp for/No one to show the way/Alone in new beginnings/As she walks into the fray/Facing up to see the sun/Rays of light/In brand new eyes/On the earth/Walking the ground/A new beginning/And so it goes/As life moves on/Shining like light through the darkness/And so it goes/As time passes on/Glowing like light/Through the dark.”  Gunnesen continues the girl’s story, writing, “She wanders past the mountains/Down to the plains below/She may have found the right place/But is it the right time?/She sees the forests growing/Then wither away and die/She stands alone in silence/And waits.”  The chorus is reprised from here, reminding listeners about the woman seeing the light, the positive regardless of everything.  Here is someone who should only be seeing darkness, being alone but instead chooses to see light, hope.  Again, this is just this critic’s interpretation.  It would seem to be in line with the album’s noted overarching theme of light and darkness.  It is certain to get listeners thinking in its own right.  To that end, it is yet another example of the importance of the album’s lyrical content.
One more example of the importance of the lyrical content featured in this album comes in ‘Hiding From The Light.’  The album’s sixth entry, this work’s lyrics were crafted by Gunnesen, Henriksen and Stephan Hay, this song’s lyrical content leaves plenty of room for interpretation.  The song’s lead verse and chorus state, “Twisted worlds collide/Kaleidoscopic visions/Drawn into a maze/Fall from distant shadows/What is reality?/Is there light in darkness/From behind these eyes/Truth illuminated/I’m drawn into a circle of illusions/I see it from inside your mind.”  This comes across as someone who is feeling completely lost and who is trying to make sense of what is good and bad, light and dark.  The inference continues in the song’s second verse, which states, “Inside a memory/A strong disillusion/Light up the dark/And see the shadows align?/In search of truth/Discount the blasphemous voices/Annihilate the light.”  Again this seems to be one person trying to make sense of one’s own situation and who others really are.  Again, if in fact this is close to being correct it is yet another intriguing presentation.  That is not only because of the topic but also in its construction.  This is also the case in the other songs examined and the rest of the lyrical content herein.  The construction thereof makes for such depth.  It is all certain to make for plenty of discussion and thought among listeners.  To that end, there is no doubt in the end just how important the lyrical content in this record is to its presentation.
Putting the final touch to Behind The Eclipse is the album’s production.  The production ensures that each musician’s performance throughout the album is expertly balanced with the work of one another.  The resultant compliment of performances from beginning to end makes the record’s powerful moments and its more subdued times a whole that is fully immersive.  The positive aesthetic that results from the attention to detail ensures full engagement and entertainment among listeners just as much here as for the record’s content.  All things considered, Behind The Eclipse proves to be a work that Course of Fate’s established audiences and new audiences alike will appreciate.
Behind The Eclipse, the newly released third album from Course of Fate is a work that will appeal just as much to general prog-metal fans as to those of this band.  That is proven in part through its featured arrangements, which blend elements of Dream Theater, Evergrey and even Rage.  The lyrical content that accompanies the record’s musical arrangements adds to the appeal.  That is due both to the stories presented and their very composition style.  Those two items collectively are sure to immerse listeners even more into the album because of how much they will leave listeners thinking deeply.  The record’s production puts the finishing touch to this presentation.  It ensures the sound is balanced throughout the record, giving listeners the fullest experience just from listening to the record.  Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the presentation.  All things considered they make Behind The Eclipse a unique, welcome early addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Behind The Eclipse is available now through Rock of Ages Records.  More information on the album is available along with all of Course of Fate’s latest news at  https://facebook.com/courseoffate.