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Solid, but lacks that gripping emotion to it's darker atmospheric tones.-
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| Moon: Caduceus Chalice |
Black Metal
Moribund Records
June 28th, 2011
- In Shadow - 2:10
- Forest Samhain - 7:26
- Beneath - 10:24
- Monastery - 7:08
- Caduceus - 6:27
- Chalice - 19:49
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| Review Information |
Release length: 53:23
Review posted on July 2nd, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 7/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Caduceus Chalice (2011)
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| EP(s): |
Blood (2008) • Apparitions (2008)
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| Split(s): |
Magick Rituals I: The Magick Seal (2008) • The Haunting Resonance (2008)
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| Demo(s): |
Moon (2008) • Omen (2008)
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| Review |
Upon doing a quick search for the Black Metal act Moon, you'll actually happen on two established acts utilizing this name. Caduceus Chalice is the latest release from the Moon based out of Queensland, Australia, and is their first official full-length recording amidst a slew of demo, EP and split materials since forming in 2007. This is also another underground one man Black Metal project, helmed by member Miasmyr, who has worked with Catacomb, Forn Valdyrheim and Urgrund in the past. But, is this really an effort worth diving into the depths of the shadows for?
With this underground element and one man operation comes the "kvlt" style of recording, all utilized to set up an atmosphere to the recording that is more Ambient, but still coming off with a presence one might find in the vein of early Darkthrone. The guitars are heavily distorted and have a low volume, the same with the bass which is hard to discern at times from the often heavily muffled bass kicks of the drum, with the rest of the kit offering up the rest to being more atmospheric sounds then anything else at times. Of course, the vocals also find the fate and come off more as haunting ghostly wails then anything else, which given the atmospheric push from the band is the only logical approach to them. But, this doesn't necessarily mean that the effort is going to be strong enough to evoke the proper emotions from the listener.
Caduceus Chalice makes for a strong Ambient-fueled release, and there's no real way to argue that upon realizing what exactly is going on. However, the whole thing isn't necessarily strong enough to really give off that dark and haunting vibe to the listener. "In Shadow" does a good job of setting up the album, creating a dark environment that, at times, seems rather gothic in atmosphere. It does, however, feel incomplete as it just kind of stops then goes into a brief period of silence before "Forest Samhain" kicks in. The music for this track is strong, and as a Black Metal track is actually quite impressive thanks to the heavy distortion, but the emotions that it clearly tries to stir up in the listener just don't become bothered against the midnight cacaphony of wailing vocals and muffled drums that feel ritualistic against guitars that sound sharp, but that's it. They seem to come off more like they are meant the winds that accompany the night time environment that music can paint a picture of, but in the end just come off more as traditional Black Metal guitars with an extra noise on them.
Some of the songs do vary from track to track, and it does become a little obvious when jumping from "Forest Samhain" into "Beneath". The drumming on "Beneath", especially the bass kicks, sound a lot louder, and the vocals are actually deeper into the mix. The song also introduces some keyboards that set up a stronger haunting atmosphere, and it works well for the song. The track itself also varies during it's nearly ten and a half minute time length between having a more ruthless sound to the music with faster guitars and drumming, to slower, more melancholic sounds. The guitars remain exactly the same and don't really wind up doing much other then making the song itself sound a little richer and acting as white noise and not necessarily as if trying to be a razor sharp wind-like effect to accompany the eerie music, as the lower vocals are distorted enough that they replace that duty well and come off exactly like a cold winter's wind blowing furiously through the trees. This song definitely embraces the Black Metal approach more, and incorporates an Ambience through atmosphere a lot better then "Forest Samhain", and clearly doesn't try to push it to the point where that atmosphere is the main allure to the song either.
"Cauceus" is another track that is worth taking the time to check out. This one is more along the lines of "Forest Samhain", and again the vocals tend to the howling, haunting aspect, but the atmosphere is not like you're outside in the middle of the night. Again, that gothic presence that "In Shadow" had comes into play, and the slower pace really offers up a darker, more sinister approach, as if locked inside a castle and dealing with the haunting howls that become more inhuman then ghostly or even like the wind. The dank feel that the keyboards give off really portray a sense of hopelessness in the darkness, and when the music picks up, as does the grip on the listener, picking up as if about to face the source of the howling as it becomes becomes much stronger in atmosphere then actual performance. The song does it's job well of playing on the listener's emotions, and the mixture of Ambience and Black Metal really becomes one perfect expression with this track, unlike with "Forest Samhain". This track also offers up enough of a variety in the music to keep the listener content, unlike "Beneath" which eventually seemed to just drag on despite it's stronger Black Metal presence. There is also a weird blipping noise that occurs once near the very end of the song that feels very out of place, but only happens once and if you're not paying attention, chances are you won't even hear it.
The album ends with the track "Chalice", and again the sound of the album is twisted, which seems to be something that happens on each track. The slower music has a strong performance from the guitars, and the drumming becomes much more obvious due to the slower nature and the fact that the guitars are a lower level. The bass is actually really noticable compared to everything else, and the additional effects from the keyboard do add to the creepiness of near twenty minute song. Unlike "Beneath", the track doesn't really become drawn out, mostly due to the creepier atmosphere to the song being able to sustain the listener's attention throughout. All of this leaves anyone in earshot the album content, and ties up the effort nicely in doing what many of the songs here couldn't, and that's play on the listeners emotions through eerie, haunting music.
Is this album a gem of the rawunderground Black Metal movement? Not really. Caduceus Chalice tries very hard at times to be that haunting or menacing Black Metal effort that really wants to portray an atmosphere that hits the listener's emotions, but it often misses the mark. While what Moon brings to the table for this release is far from bad and often sounds pretty intense when it's focused more on Black Metal with atmosphere being a further second in the composition's preferences, many of the atmosphere-driven songs just don't live up to it, and it seems to step mostly from the guitars that seem to just not add much to that song's general vibe. Caduceus Chalice is far from a bad album, and despite some lacking in gripping atmospheric tones and "Beneath" feeling a little more drawn out then it should have been, it still has some strong replay potential to it, and for fans it's an album that has been long overdue and is still worth the wait. If this sort of interpretation of Black Metal from the underground is your thing, it's worth checking out, but it often doesn't offer enough to really make this stand out from the others of this style who do it so well.
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