
Lazarus
(Ván Records)
40:57min
Well, this is an interesting release and maybe not in a good way. With a quick translation, their name in English is Fullmoon Procession and is composed of two members, who seem bent on maintaining their anonymity, hailing from Switzerland, not much else can be said. I may be a little out of step with this particular sound the band is putting out, but it is a very lo-fi sound, giving a nod to early JUDAS ISCARIOT, XASTHUR and touches of CRAFT. Now, for some, this can be a treasure trove, but those aforementioned bands created a semblance of a song. They excelled in instilling a particular atmosphere in their own way. VOLLMONDPROZESSION is a bit too redundant across all tracks. The vocals are a bit all over the place. They have on their Bandcamp page a tag Black Metal Noise, and I would have to agree. Now think of one riff being played ad nauseam, and then with a scattershot of vocals being overlaid haphazardly over the arrangements. Plus, those said arrangements do not vary much at all in their approach. There is no bottom end to speak of, and the drums are almost non-existent and very minimal. Again, I will admit I was never a huge fan of the very austere, minimalistic approach, or one that was recorded in a bedroom type of sound. I know there will be some among us who will find a great and rare find. I would almost tolerate this if they would focus on creating a more structured approach to the vocals, tighten up the songwriting, and maybe cut the excess and present only 4-5 songs instead. https://vollmondprozession.bandcamp.com, www.facebook.com/vanrecords
Will “Bones” Lee