Astrologers say that this is often a “lost” time when it becomes harder to trust our feelings and intuitions, make decisions, and stay focused. This state of in-between can sometimes be a welcome respite, or may also represent an uncanny paralysis.
Swedish doom metallers Void Moon conjure this sense of restless suspension on their debut full-length On The Blackest of Nights. Composed of tracks drawn from their two demos (re-recorded) as well an a healthy slice of all new material, this record is both a thoughtful and weighty beginning, another dark spot of staining melancholy in a year already blackened by a host of stellar doom metal releases.
A key element to Void Moon's sound is the deep, prominent bass lines. At times the shuddering twangs seem to echo the huge heartbeat or stentorian breathing of a colossus; at other times, the bass evokes the writhing itchiness of a kind of frustrated anguish.
The cornerstone of their sound, however, is certainly Jonas Gustavsson's vocals. Powerful and emotive, he also displays chameleon-like range, able to convey the eerie, stalking ominousness of “Among The Dying” and the heart-rending intensity of “Cyclops” with equal skill.
With swelling, emotive melodies and song structures that unfurl like a dour night blossom, On The Blackest Nights is a solid and impressive debut. Void Moon should be proud of their first offering and have proven that they deserve a place in a doom metal scene already brimming with heavy weights.
(released November 6, 2012 on Cruz del Sur Music)
