Moonblood
The Winter Falls Over The Land...
[Gospel Of The Witches]


This is the (very nice presented) 3rd demo from the CULT German horde MOONBLOOD. The line-up on this recording is the same as the one on other MOONBLOOD releases, i.e. Gaamalzagoth on vocals & Occulti-is (aka Occulta Mors) on guitars, bass, drums & keyboards. This demo was released between the 13th and the 15th of January, 1995, yet it doesn't sound like the "Blut und krieg" album, which was recorded the same year. "B & K" is much more melodic than "The winter...", because even if some of the tracks (the first two ones, actually) here are slow, most of them have a really fast drum-basis that can be a big "change" to you if you're used to the "Blut und Krieg" or "Taste our German Steel !" LPs. Anyway MOONBLOOD's touch was already there, Gaamalzagoth's voice is certainly one of the best I ever heard within the BM scene (together with DARKTHRONE's Nocturno Culto - I know I already said that in another review, but I don't care !!!), and the raw Black Metal played here keeps the spirit of the old days alive. This is the kind of BM Euronymous from MAYHEM (R.I.P.) would have liked to listen to, very conservative yet with a personal touch that makes the difference (and what difference !!) with the hundreds of bands that appeared in the mid or the late '90s. Dynamic and nostalgic Black Metal, this is what I would say to describe MOONBLOOD's "The winter falls over the land". This is not the kind of demo you buy as a completist because you like the other recordings of the band, this is really GREAT Black Metal played by people who believe in True Evilness and who know how to pay homage to the old gods of the style (BATHORY, DARKTHRONE, MAYHEM...). It comes with a great glossy booklet with a killer photograph of the band (shot, I guess, during the video sessions they used on the legendary video clip illustration of the "The quest after the doctrines of might and wisdom" track), and it is limited and hand-numbered to 333 copies. But have you ever been disappointed by any of the band's releases' presentation ??? Just take a look at the band's logo : isn't it one of the best in Black Metal ???

The tracklist is :
Intro / Nightly Mass / The gates of eternity / A land where the sky is black / In the shadow of the inverted krucifix / The winter falls over the land / Outro ; and the total length is about 35 / 40 minutes.

All tracks only appear on this demo, they were never re-released or re-issued on any of the band's next release (be it on their vinyls or on any compilation tape), what should be enough for you to get this demo if you like MOONBLOOD, or simply if you like EVIL BLACK METAL.

9 / 10


© 2003 lord pesten