Review: Deimoon “The Nocturnes – First Act: The Hour of Wrath”

The new Polish/French band Deimoon has officially begun their musical path, releasing debut EP The Nocturnes – First Act: The Hour of Wrath utterly independently. This EP was symbolically released on April Fools’ Day, but without any trace of entertainment or fun. Just 20 minutes of melodic and melancholic metal tinged with emotional specks of darkness.

Deimoon is a project of two musicians located in different European countries – Piotr is from Poland and is responsible for all guitar lines and lyrics, while a multi-instrumentalist and a singer Chag hails from France, and together they joined forces to create this relaxing and somber music. Their musical careers are rather obscure, they were spotted in black and death metal associations, and now they have finally invested some of their previous experience into a new project. And it will not be superfluous to add that this EP is dedicated to the people of Ukraine who are fighting right now for freedom (and all the proceeds from the sale are going to Ukrainian refugees in Poland). This was a little political diversion, but what about the music itself?

The band describes their music as atmospheric doom metal enriched by modern elements, the internet insists rather on gothic metal, but as far as I’m concerned; their music is inclined more towards melodic death/dark metal. This EP is rich in textures and stylistic flows, so it doesn’t matter how we position it, because through doomy rhythmical patterns we can embrace ourselves into mdm’s catchy melodies and soften our inner triggers with the help of soothing gothic keyboards. But the general atmosphere is covered up by dark and melancholic veils of mist, quite audible, but still without suppressing the entire mood with dramatic grief. And like many gothic bands, Deimoon also has some whiff of spirituality, not in an abstract or ethereal manner, but like a constant remainder of inevitable side of death, an opaque reflection of the life.

The first composition “Nocturne # 1: At the Edge” is an epitome of melancholic canvas, with familiar melodic death clichés that transform into gothic/dark flow of melodies, sweeping away all the discords and raw flaws. “Nocturne # 2: The Legend” leads us closer to abstruse world of mysteriousness, but with positive vibes. There is a pretty strong contrast between the voices – screams vs. clean lines on the track “Nocturne # 3: The Hour of Wrath”, this is also the saddest song on the record. The last “Nocturne # 4: Lullaby” is an instrumental finale, with creepy and distorted intro mixed with classical lullabies, which later turns into old school hard/gothic rock with some retro-styled acoustic elements.

Twenty minutes of classical dark/gothic metal that equally conveys forlorn tragic mood and optimistic hopefulness – this is all about Deimoon’s debut EP. This international duet knows how to express the beauty of the melodies still staying safely in extreme metal’s demanding domain. The Nocturnes – First Act: The Hour of Wrath came out during the challenging times, but maybe the second act will be released when the world will accept their mistakes and will start building a better future.