ALBUM REVIEW: Dead Mother Moon – Upon Stone
Emanating one’s heroes and wearing your influences on your sleeve can be a tricky game to play. Despite being one of the most accepting and inclusive genres the metal community can be quite unforgiving and dismissive when bands retread the same ground as those that came before them. This means that you have to take on the teachings of the past and forge them into something new and exciting, which is exactly what UPON STONE have done with their debut full-length album Dead Mother Moon. The band have made it very clear since their inception that they worship at the altar of the gods of melodic death metal, and have taken the sounds of the famed Gothenburg scene and have put their own modern spin on it.
The band come out of the gates at full speed with the album’s ferocious eponymous track. The driving drum beats and high velocity guitars lay down the groundwork perfectly for vocalist/bassist Xavier Wahlberg. This is pure Swedish melodeath worship in the best way, with the intertwining guitars adding a level of melody to contrast the powerful, reverb-drenched lead vocals. This is the perfect way to set things off, with the aggressive opener grabbing the attention of the listener from the outset. Next track Onyx Through The Heart sounds as though it could have come from the cutting room floor of The Jester Race by IN FLAMES and this is in no way an insult. The lads have a real ear for melodic guitar lines, with Ronny Marks and Gage Goss using their harmonies and well-crafted guitar solos to devastating effect, making this song one of the real highlights of the album.
Dusk Sang Fairest is another excellent track, slowing the pace of things ever so slightly and laying down an epic introduction, completely with even more impressive lead guitar work. This is one of the more accessible songs on the album, and it gives the listener a chance to settle into the flow of things without compromising any of the key aspects of what makes the UPON STONE sound so powerful. With Paradise Failed however, it’s immediately back to business with the intensity turned back up and drummer Wyatt Bentley taking centre stage as he switches the tempo and feel of the song at the flick of a wrist, guiding the song through its many different avenues without making things feel jarring or out of place. And it is in that kind of seamless songwriting ability that the band really show talent beyond their years.
To Seek And Follow The Call Of Lions shows the band at their most primal. This is a devastatingly heavy song, and a real testament to the influence of bands such as AT THE GATES and THE HAUNTED with its pummelling beats and visceral vocal performance. It must be said that the job Taylor Young has done in the producer’s seat has really breathed extra life into these tracks with each of the band members getting the appropriate share of the mix and a chance to shine as they rightly should.
The final original song on the album (let’s ignore the totally unnecessary and pretty average MISFITS cover that actually closes the record) The Lantern is the sound of a band hitting the accelerator in order to go out in a blaze of glory. The drums are pummelling, the vocals are emotive and primal, and the lead guitar work is impressive to say the very least. The lads have hit their creative stride here and there is plenty for fans of all subgenres to dig their teeth into with the waves of heavy riffing, headbanging moments, melody and aggression all in equal measure.
With an album of this quality being unleashed so early in the year, it means that the lads are poised to take the metal world by storm, and no doubt they will have plenty of offers on the table for tours and festivals alike as the year goes on. And once again, it bears mentioning that Dead Mother Moon is UPON STONE’s debut album. The potential here is limitless and we look forward to seeing where they go next.
Rating: 8/10
Dead Mother Moon is set for release on January 19th via Century Media Records.
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