CRIMSON MOONLIGHT
Veil Of Remembrance
(Rivel Records)
43:14min

I have to admit that I am not familiar with CRIMSON MOONLIGHT’s previous work. If I refer to their info sheet these Swedish based band played a kind of symphonic Black Metal before. As far as I know the band released two demos ("Glorification Of The Master Of The Light" in 1997 and "Heralding The Dawn" in 2001), one self financed MCD called "Eternal Emperor" in 1999, a kind of best of album in 2003 entitled "Songs From The Archives" (incl. the EP tracks, live tracks etc.) and their first full length "The Covenant Progress" which was released 2003 by their current label. So they are far beyond of being newcomers. The main difference between your ordinary / standard Black Metal band is the content of the lyrics. CRIMSON MOONLIGHT’s subjects deal with their Christian faith. That fact caused or will cause for sure some serious headaches / nightmares for some die hard Black Metal supporters (Black Metal with Christian lyrics can not be…). If you are not narrow minded and unprejudiced you will notice that these six men from Jonköping are very competent musicians. The band dropped the keyboards (which I think was wise) and are no longer one of these epic / symphonic Metal bands. Furthermore they have three guitarists which is also not so typical for this genre. I wouldn’t label them Black Metal anymore (so Black Metallers can relax again and sit back) as "Veil Of Remembrance" is an alloy of modern Swedish Death / Thrash with some Black Metal influences. Just the typical screaming vocals have a more blackened background. The nine mature tracks of this album have a lot of variation and are very well executed. You have fast and blasting drums, thrashing mid tempo parts, variable riffing which is spiced with excellent guitar solos and harmonies. All put together to a powerful and sometimes brutal brew. The vocals are mainly screaming but also some deeper parts can be heard. The production is crispy & powerful and compliments perfectly the furious songs. So if you are not so narrow minded when it comes to faith / lyrics (the music counts) then you should give them a try as this band has some excellent tunes and musicians to offer. For further info visit the bands web site www.crimsonmoonlight.com or contact the label info@rivelrecords.com.

Michael Oelschlegel

Michael Oelschlegel

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