Darkmoon - .308 Antichrist
Tribunal Records - 2001
By Philip Whitehouse
Visit the Tribunal Records web site
Why, oh why are there only four tracks on this disc? I require more, since Darkmoon are in the front-runners of the current generation of black metal upstarts.
Ridiculously fast-paced, never lacking in a frantic riff, replete with inhumanly mechanical drumming, sprinkled with some very groove-laden bass riffs, topped with militaristic samples and coated lovingly with broken-glass gargling vocals, Darkmoon have crafted one of the best black metal releases of the year, and they've done it in only four songs. That's pretty bloody impressive in my book!
High points include the ludicrously impressive guitar solo during 'Impenetrable' and the way machine-gun samples intermingle with the drumming on the same song, as well as the horrifically sinister introduction to 'Pagan Graves', which consists of the echoing footfalls of a marching army mixing with the ambience of a desolate landscape and occasional synth stabs, before a high-pitched riff recalling the beginning of Akercocke's 'Of Menstrual Blood and Semen' appears.
Production is clean and crisp, so Darkmoon obviously have decided not to go down the 'sound like Darkthrone' route - Mayhem are more of a signpost towards the Darkmoon sound. Which in my opinion is a very good thing.
Can't wait for the next release - just hope it has got more songs on it!
9/10
Tribunal Records - 2001
By Philip Whitehouse
Visit the Tribunal Records web site
Why, oh why are there only four tracks on this disc? I require more, since Darkmoon are in the front-runners of the current generation of black metal upstarts.
Ridiculously fast-paced, never lacking in a frantic riff, replete with inhumanly mechanical drumming, sprinkled with some very groove-laden bass riffs, topped with militaristic samples and coated lovingly with broken-glass gargling vocals, Darkmoon have crafted one of the best black metal releases of the year, and they've done it in only four songs. That's pretty bloody impressive in my book!
High points include the ludicrously impressive guitar solo during 'Impenetrable' and the way machine-gun samples intermingle with the drumming on the same song, as well as the horrifically sinister introduction to 'Pagan Graves', which consists of the echoing footfalls of a marching army mixing with the ambience of a desolate landscape and occasional synth stabs, before a high-pitched riff recalling the beginning of Akercocke's 'Of Menstrual Blood and Semen' appears.
Production is clean and crisp, so Darkmoon obviously have decided not to go down the 'sound like Darkthrone' route - Mayhem are more of a signpost towards the Darkmoon sound. Which in my opinion is a very good thing.
Can't wait for the next release - just hope it has got more songs on it!
9/10
