Cemetery Moon
Dominion of Ashes
(Wulfhere Productions)
4/5
Connecticut black metal is alive and well.
Initially a solo project launched in 2015 that turned into a full band in 2023, Cemetery Moon’s second full-length album, Dominion of Ashes, exceeds my expectations.
The album fits into the black-metal glove perfectly, with deadly guitar progressions, powerful bass lines, and haunting vocals. It runs the listener through a gauntlet of darkness.
Right off the rip, drummer Usurper’s speed, fills, and presence on the kit is substantial and draws you in like a black hole. Oftentimes I’ve found that guitars and vocals carry a black metal album; in this case, I think Usurper has earned some serious praise.
Both Apparition and Langeloth shred on their guitars and lay down fast, heavy riffs throughout the album. I particularly enjoyed some of the more melodic sections, like in the interlude “The Sorting of Souls,” which further hints at the scope of this band’s capabilities.
Apparition’s vocals fit the tropes of black metal to a T. Unfortunately, I kept waiting for something to surprise me, which never happened. I would love to see him try to find a little bit more variety in his cadence and flow.
Overall, this album is solid. The musicians are consciously making a stylistic choice to play within the constraints of the genre and are absolutely killing it.
The reason it’s only a four out of five is that I think they could push the envelope. They are clearly capable of a more unique sound that doesn’t need to stray far from the path they’ve chosen. The tone is super consistent throughout and I feel that people who enjoy black metal should definitely check it out. If they wanted to find that ever-elusive five out of five, I would love to see them vary their writing process to push black metal somewhere a little more risky.