Review: W / OLDMOON – split

W / OLDMOON – split
South Horde Productions

Ok, it’s time for some split again. Both projects was born in minds of their creators in 2014. But I don’t suppose that Winter Vampyr (Evgeniy Pilnikov) and David Rodríguez would know about each other in the moment of giving a birth to W and OLDMOON. Especially because they live not only in different countries, but even on different continents. Evgeniy is young (23 y.o.), but prolific guy from Mikhailovsk – small town located quite near (as on Russian conditions) to capital city of region – Yekaterinburg, in Urals. During these more or less three years he released four albums, EP and three splits (this one is the third ). David’s home is one of the most important departments in the Republic of Colombia – Valle del Cauca. Anyhow, he’s not as productive as our Russian friend and discography of OLDMOON is about one full-length and two splits.

Well, there’re more differences between both projects. The most important is that guys present us totally different music here. W is about Black Metal and OLDMOON about Death/Doom. The fact is that Evgeniy tells that he creates Atmospheric Black Metal, but honestly I connote word “atmospheric” with something else. We have here some fragments with delicate touch of keyboards (better hearable in the beginning of some songs), but in my opinion it’s not enough to use term “atmospheric” to describe this music. We have also some slower riffs which as I think in Evgeniy’s intention are majestic. The same probably is about mentioned above monotonous keyboards. But effect is rather miserable, I guess. I was never caring about sound too much, but these three songs was recorded in some studio, especially drums in faster parts. Still the sound is strange and poor. Anyway, mostly it’s fast played, in Norwegian style. In general music is very typical and even if there happen some interesting ideas it’s nothing what I’ll remember after ending this review.

On side ‘B’ of this tape we have Colombian OLDMOON. David release products of his music activity with less frequency. And in my opinion that’s a reason why the songs are more well-thought. I don’t say that OLDMOON presents something genius to us. But the truth is that we have here to do with quite various playing. Of course Doom Metal from its nature is more monotonous than Death, for example. Especially drums’ work is variable, with some passages and so on. Generally it plays even more in vein of Death Metal – I mean speed which’s often high. Riffs aren’t maybe complicated, but David change them from time to time. It’s hearable the best in “Walking to the Stars”, I think. But in another three songs it’s also easy to notice. They’re also more or less melodic. Colombian use both clean vocal, grave growling and something between them what surely makes his music more interesting. OPLDMOON isn’t any worldwide revelation. Well, I’m sure that it’s any revelation on the scale of Latin America or even Colombia. But it serve us solid music and to be honest I’d be happy if David would find some musicians who’d like to play with him and turn OLDMOON to band. He has broad music horizons (the proof of this is only inspiration of the name) and fine ideas…