The Swiss have brought their national drink to Germany this year. Rivella, the natural refreshment from Switzerland. The stuff tastes, let's say, special. Which fits well with the Swiss nature.
With DARKMOON, something else is coming from Switzerland to Germany in 2011 alongside the refreshment drink. The five gentlemen are from Basel and play a mix of black and death metal with a touch of gothic and thrash metal. Sounds good, but how do the Swiss manage that?
“Wounds“ is the second album of the band. They earned their first spurs in the scene with their debut “Apocalyptic Syndrome“ and a decent number of concerts. Now the years have passed, and a second album has made its way.
The cover of “Wounds“ appears very dark, depressive, and hopeless. A person with the band name carved into their back in a dark cell. The person alone with their pain and no way out in sight. This is the vision the band conjures up here. The assumption that the sound is just as dark and hopeless is dispelled upon listening.
The sound is very demanding for a band from this camp. You can hear that the guys master their instruments and have a good knack for melodies. The songs are catchy, all have the necessary hardness to convince, are varied, and listening evokes a feeling of being trapped. The band manages to transport or awaken images and emotions solely with their music.
Dark head cinema for dark people on dark days.
So to speak, the perfect soundtrack for autumn and the dark winter.
The lyrics are partly typical of the scene, partly very critical for the genre. It starts with the brutal opener “The Sword“, where the liner notes have a better statement than the song, but the direction is right. Revenge and pleasure in suffering are sung about in “Conquistadors“, where criticism of conquest and the treatment of people at that time is also exercised.
Genocide, in the name of the Lord, and the churches are still full. Why? One of the topics for which there seems to be no answer.
With “Black Shell“ and “Where the old gods sleep“, scene-typical themes are addressed, so that even the classic death or black metal fan will be thrilled at the latest.
DARKMOON have released a mature metal work with “Wounds“ that deserves more than just attention.
