ALBUM REVIEW: Angels of Dirt- Beasts of Rebellion – Darkmoon Warrior

There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with the return of a great band to the forefront of their chosen genre, both for old fans who get a chance to hear new music, and new fans who get to discover it. Although DARKMOON WARRIOR have been active on the European live circuit, the band have laid creatively dormant since the release of their second full length record, Nuke ‘Em All, back in late 2013. That is, until the beginning of this year; initially releasing the brief Destroy the Planet! E.P back in February, DARKMOON WARRIOR have not rested on their laurels, quickly recording their third full length, Angels of Dirt- Beasts of Rebellion, an album that could very well see the band reassert their position in the European black metal scene, and build upon their already impressive legacy.

Thermonuclear Predator kicks this album off with a rabid and aggressive slab of dense and feral black metal, with some excellent guitar work, tight, thunderous drums and ferocious, harsh vocals, all which make for a claustrophobic, thrash inflected track with some great black metal elements thrown liberally throughout. It doesn’t mess around, going straight for the jugular and setting a bleak and visceral tone for the rest of the music to come. Coração Sinistro is, if anything, even more chaotic and monstrous in its approach to the music, with thick, dirge-like hooks and shrill, grating vocals carving powerful path through the mix, with solid drumming providing a machine gun precise undercurrent to the rest of the music. The vocals, at many points, really carry this track, ranging from throaty roars to demented howls, which give this track plenty of emotive weight that complements the vicious nature of the music extremely well. It’s another fantastic offering that adds to this albums dark and oppressive feel, balancing focused musicianship with cacophonous and jarring sections perfectly.

XX.XV.XX. is a whirlwind of energetic and frenetic riffs and intricate drumming which, although brief, manages to stand out due to its razor sharp and focused playing, with the music as a whole locking together tightly, not letting up until it reaches its final notes. Into Thy Crimson Realms is, by contrast, a far more mid-paced, groove-laden affair with plenty of bellicose vocals added to make this robust song sound even more powerful. It jumps into a far more hypnotic, melody driven motif, which adds plenty of variety to the music and helps break up the song as it progresses, making for a great change of pace to bring the albums first half to a close.

Blackmetal Anarchy is another relatively brief song that reverts back to the sort of anarchic sound that informed the albums third song, with a noticeably more epic and monolithic sound, which, at points, makes this song sound huge. The drums and guitars outdo themselves in terms of intensity, with some glorious melodic elements thrown in for good measure, adding to the epic quality that underpins the music on this particular track. Svjatogor which its tar thick, sludgy bass line and haunting guitar hooks, is another slow and funereal affair, which, due to its classic, heavy metal leads and aforementioned bubbling bass parts, immediately sets itself apart from the pack, diving between steady, rhythmic sections and soaring, guitar driven ones, resulting in bleak track that is tinged with lots of melancholic moments which make this song sound far different from the far more emotively aggressive numbers on the record.

Brenne für mich starts out as another fairly chaotic and fierce offering, with buzz saw guitars, intense drumming and some excellent vocals, all of which contribute to this tracks dissonant, jarring sound to some degree, with only a few moments giving any reprieve from the unerring aggression. Angels of Dirt & Beasts of Rebellion features some of the most impressive drumming on the whole record, and when coupled with the tight and thrashing rhythmic approach of the guitars, it ends up being one of the more focused and feral tracks on the album, with brilliant, disjointed lead guitars and harsh, vocal growl giving this song many of its best moments. It’s a great, if slightly subdued, track that does a great job of bringing the album to a close.

This is a fantastic comeback album that does a great job of showcasing DARKMOON WARRIOR at their absolute best. There’s no signs of rust as far as the music itself is concerned, and, if anything, their sound is far tighter and focused than there previous efforts, as well as being noticeably better. It’s got a brilliant murky and raw sound, but not to such a degree that it will alienate listener not accustomed to the black metal sound. It’s got a brilliant, chaotic sound blended with great melodic flourishes, which is likely to appeal to both die hard and new fans of DARKMOON WARRIOR and the genre alike, and is arguably one of the better releases to come out of the black metal underground in the last year.

Rating: 9/10

Angels of Dirt- Beasts of Rebellion is out now via Folter Records. 

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