Lunar Chalice is an entity roaming the depths of the German Black Metal underground. Since the band’s inception in 2019 they’ve released a demo, two EP’s and one full-length, with the latter being discussed here. ‘Trancedentia: The Shadow Pilgrimage’ aim is to put darkness and obscurity into music. Thus, there’s a strong sense of mystery emanating from this record. That too is evident from the band photo’s which shows all bandmembers being cloaked in hooded robes. Those who’re thinking that I am hereby describing 90% of Black Metal band are correct so far. There’s little innovative to be found in Lunar Chalice’s camp, so let’s just honour their decision to keep the ancient black flame alight.
The most quote-on-quote uniqueness about this record is the emphasis on chanted verses. This technique was first benchmarked by Mayhem on their absolute masterpiece that is their debut. Attila’s eerie vocals have always been subjected to an individual’s taste and has been a major point of discussion on most forums. However, Mayhem (and their debut for that matter) is a hugely influential band. What has proven to be less influential however is Attila’s evil singing on ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’, as only few bands seem to have incorporated that into their own sound. Lunar Chalice does pick up on this and therefore falls into a category of Black Metal acts that’s not as densely populated than others. Their decision to make themselves stand out in this way gives them props in my book. As for the execution of the vocals, they’re solidly performed but they don’t venture into the wicked territories that Attila once did. That aside, not nearly all vocal parts are chanted on ‘Trancedentia’, to the contrary, most vocal parts are midrange throaty-yet-understandable Black Metal screams.
The instrumental section to Lunar Chalice is far less mind blowing unfortunately. The modus operandi here is mid paced Black Metal where the influences of early Mayhem are never too far away. The majority of the riffs seem to consist of either chord driven and tremolo riffs. No problem so far, as it’s essentially fundamental to most Black Metal songs. The problem for my lies in the execution of the guitars. There are very little riffs and leads that have an ear catching hook to them, making it extremely difficult to tell the songs apart even after several spins. To put it frank, it seems Lunar Chalice knows only a handful of tricks and overuses them to craft songs. However, out of the eight songs on ‘Trancedentia: The Shadow Pilgrimage’ three are intro’s/interludes. These do allow for a welcome change of scenery, but let’s be honest, most of us are here to enjoy full songs.
The production is very clear and not overly polished. The guitars cut through the bass-heavy drums but fortunately do contain a dark character. This allows for a sound that is wide, immersive and, at the same time, obscure. Which confirms my earlier suspicion that Lunar Chalice’s primary aim has been to create an opus of mysticism and other similar moods. There’s a strong ritualistic sense to this album that’s simply undeniable. This will likely appeal to those who love to draw dark emotions from music and let it play while they calm their mind.
