CURSED MOON “Rite of Darkness”
Hells Headbangers records
Out, just in time for Halloween, is the debut from one man band, Cursed Moon.
And Rite of Darkness mixes two very distinct styles, which merge together remarkably well:
Part one, is a mix of all things dark and Gothic. Originally inspired by The Sisters of Mercy, you can also throw most of 80s Gothdom into the mix, from The Cure, maybe some Fields of Nephilim, even a bit of The Cramps (same era, different sound).
If you’re familiar with “Bikini Girls With Machine Guns”, stick that through a Goth blender, and the music side is sorted… bar, an average drum machine… and as a side-note, Cursed Moon will soon have a full line-up for gigs etc… so the drum machine machine may get the boot.
On the plus side, I’m loving the basslines and 80s guitar sound.
Part two of the sound is the vocals, which are a completely different style from the music. The biog lists a few bands I’m not hearing, especially King Diamond, but being completely honest, I’m not picking up any comparisons with the vocals, sound or style wise.
What you get are a growled (yet clear-ish) creepy style that would fit nicely into most kinds of Extreme Metal, bar the more volatile end of the spectrum. It’s kind of Heavy Metal meets Extreme Metal, with melody…
That’s probably a crappy explanation, but it’s the best you’re gonna get.
Whatever you decide to call this, the bands creator, Sal Yanez, calls it “Deathwave”, it’s basically Extreme Metal tinged 80s Goth. And it works brilliantly.
The album ends with three cover versions, which is a bit too much (one would be have been ok). But I guess the three bands represent the different influences you hear on the original tracks. So you get covers by The Sisters of Mercy, Oz (whose new album I reviewed recently) and Industrial legends, Skinny Puppy. With the last couple working much better than The Sisters cover.
Overall, this is a very good album. It’s not without it’s mistakes, but I’ve found it a really enjoyable listen. It’ll be interesting to see if this stays a one man studio project, or if it makes the leap to a full band.
Ones to watch.
https://www.facebook.com/cursedmoonband/
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