With pulsating pace and rasping vocals Dødmoon kicks off its first release ‘Demø MMXXV’. These Finns mean business with Black Metal in the Scandinavian style. Intense with a bit of Horna groove, melody is not necessarily the main driver of the music. A rawness that doesn’t necessarily come from the guitar sound but rather from the throaty vocals which may have a slight tad of distortion over them. One can argue that its these raucous vocals alongside the propelling drums are what pushes the three songs forward, but that would downplay the array of Darkthrone-inspired riffs.
In the three tracks the band proves not to be a one-trick pony. While ‘Reaped by the Dark Light is a more uptempo track with a good dose of groove, ‘Victorious Signs of Arcane Madness’ is a slower and more threatening affair. Despite an overall lower pace, the band builds some dynamics in the drums as the song progresses and continues to add a more prominent incorporation of melody and tempo. The vocals remain a showstopper, hoarse and passionate with a good delivery of an ooh. The closer ‘Hails of Hellfire’ starts off with a threatening tremolo riff, followed by a bit of a Punky beat until it accelerates into a choppy version of Marduk mixed with Finnish flair. A more nervous guitar riff adds a sense of atonality and dissonance to the track, that together with the pummeling drums and vile vocals is rather overwhelming in nature.
Dødmoon comes out of nowhere, flying at your throats with passion and aggression. Fifteen minutes of intense, slightly raw Black Metal with rasping vocals, shattering drums and strong riffs, it is no wonder that ‘Demø MMXXV’ was picked up by Signal Rex.
