Deathgasm Records - 2007
1. Intro - Compos Mentis
2. The Serpent Beneath the Skin
3. Bringer of Calamity
4. Outro - Consummatum Est
I can easily say that I haven't seen a gatefold package as beautiful and at the same time as sinister as this one by Crimson Moon for their last CD which is a set of new songs paired with the re-issue of "To Embrace the Vampyric Blood". The background is in a matte black, with the logo and the rest of the artwork really standing out with a shiny black or a pale grey, sometimes white.
OK, so how about the music? Well, this is really a tale of 2 tapes, literally! The first CD is old Crimson Moon, full of atmosphere, keyboards, and a very sinister feel and sound while the 2 songs that comprise the EP on the second CD are much more brutal and to the point. No keyboards are used except for the intro and the outro which really are 2 songs out of the 4.
The first CD starts off with an intro accompanied by a soft spoken voice that really is a song in itself. It lasts almost 5 minutes but it never becomes boring or annoying. Right after the black metal assault begins. This whole first CD is a roller coaster of sounds and singing. One minute the mid paced black metal is pounding away with some really tortured screaming alongside, the next minute haunting melodies are both played and spoken with some excellent work by the bass and keyboards.
There is a whole aura of dark atmosphere on this first CD. The sound is obviously a bit muffled as if the band was behind a thick curtain, although every instrument is still clearly distinguished. I really liked the keyboard work which probably is what gives the work its atmosphere, although I must say that is really works well with the rest of the instruments and the vocals, because at no point in time does this music which comes across as almost Vampyric becomes trendy or cheesy. It actually becomes pretty close to a symphonic black metal recording.
As good as this first CD is, the second is even better with perhaps a flaw being just how short it is if you consider the quality of black metal that is being played. For this second set of songs, gone are the keyboards and instead you get treated to some real cruel and killer black metal. The pace definitely picks up although it never becomes a hyper speed affair.
The most interesting thing I can immediately appreciate was the dual guitar attack, where one guitar uses a more or less regular approach while the second one almost acts as a drone because of its sound. This is in my opinion a very effective and convincing technique and it even sounds better live.
The sound on this second CD is better than on the first CD, but I don't want to mislead you into thinking that the first CD is a raw black metal CD, far from it. However, this second set of songs is much more in your face black metal, and instead of creating an aura of atmosphere this one bites you without warning.
All in all, this is a great release for many reasons. This is on both counts very high quality black metal, the artwork is exquisite; the keyboards are exceptional on both CDs as well, vocals are killer, the bass can actually be heard on both recordings which gives the music a very good feel and weigh, and honestly it seems about time for a band not to try to be the next Xasthur.
July 28, 2007
By Carlos