The Eternal Bassist Departs

James Hunt, bassist of Australian doomsters The Eternal parts ways with the band. The following is an exerpt of his farewell:

"It is with a heavy heart that I must announce my retirement from The Eternal. For the last three years I have worked obsessively alongside Mark and Chris to achieve a common goal; to make The Eternal stand internationally as a renowned and respected heavy metal band, and to fulfil our collective dreams of making a living from playing the music that we love.

Together, we have gone a long way to achieving this dream, having in three short years been signed to Firebox Records, released what are in my subjective opinion two excellent albums, toured Europe and more recently opened for HIM and Opeth on their Australian tours. It was perhaps this most recent success that triggered my decision to leave The Eternal. Being able to glimpse the inner machinations of big international touring acts made me realise that the world that I thought I longed for was actually not at all what I desired. Being something of a polymath, I knew then that I lacked the single minded qualities required to achieve, sustain and enjoy international success for The Eternal. Mark and Chris genuinely live and breathe The Eternal, and relish such a prospect. With their collective talent, commitment and determination, in my estimation it is only a matter of time until they achieve it. I’ll be watching and supporting as the good friend that I hope I shall always be to them.

What will I get up to now that there are no bass lines to learn, tours to book and albums to promote? I completed my Doctorate earlier this year in agro-ecology, so I intend to pursue a straight-laced career as an agricultural scientist working for a not-for-profit farming research group in the Victorian Mallee. Musically, I’ll be pestering Mark and Chris to help me record some material of the old-school doom variety that I’ve been working on over the past few years, and try and get that released (more for the purpose of vanity-publishing than serious musical accomplishment!).

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to numerous people that I have come into contact from my time co-managing and playing bass for The Eternal. This list is too long to mention in its entirety, and I shall restrict it to all past and present members of The Eternal, Rami and JP at Firebox Records (if a fairer, harder working and more reasonable record label exists in the mean old world of the heavy metal music industry, I am yet to hear of it!), Endel Rivers... I thank you all!

And who is to fill my boots? Well that is a very interesting question. Stay tuned, because I am sure no one will be disappointed with my successor..."

Source: doom-metal