Languor into Echoes, Beyond

Chaos Moon is a one-man project making some very open-hearted, unsettling and honest music. When you listen to the first track you can already get the feeling of raw and spontaneous feelings that are poured into the music and vocals. Overall the music contains a dominant element of raw black metal, depressive black, doom and some general elements of dark ambient music. The vocals remind me a lot of Silencer, Xasthur and Sterbend.

Throughout the album the guitars are drenched in an analogous system – in some cases the guitars are very dominant and in other cases it is very much in the background in order to create more of an ambient and atmospheric feeling. The drums maintain a constant rhythm in the background and I must say that Chaos Moon created a recipe here that works very well, because the general atmosphere of the guitars and drums go along very well with the vocals that vary from unsettling screaming to spoken words.

The first three tracks are individual pieces of music that actually feels like one long piece of music. Then suddenly it is interrupted by a track titled “Simulacrum of Mirrors” that contains a very calm introduction and is much more slow-paced. The music suddenly fades into some theatrical piece that contains some subtle elements of horror and the uncanny. It is actually very well done in the sense that it feels as if the band is taking you on a dark ride through a ghostly forest and then suddenly forsakes you in this theatrical abyss where you are forced to face some uncanny dream.

Hereafter you are once again swept up and are now taken on a dark pilgrimage through different pieces of music that sometimes rip your legs of with the rawness of the sound and sometimes seek to calm your soul in some strange way. This is actually a metaphor of the everyday psychological process of the human mind wherein we are faced with different situations that sometimes cause us to feel unsettled and scared and then there are those situations wherein you feel calm...but just for a while.

The way in which the guitars are used in so many different ways with such a variety of effects are really genius – for example if you listen to “Hymn to Iniquity” you will hear different riffs – from down tuned to tremolo to high-pitched. It is combined in such a way that the music sometimes sounds like some chaotic wind seeking to drench you in a river of dreams.

I would recommend this album to all fans of black metal. Reason being that there are so many influences and sub-genres present in the music of Chaos Moon. I think fans of Silencer, Sterbend and Xasthur might enjoy this album, but also fans of Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth and many other. Buying this album is, in my humble opinion, worth the money.

In a way, Chaos Moon have one of the most appropriately titled names of any black metal band. Instead of dubbing their band some absurd combination of letters, they chose a moniker that actually described their music - a combination of chaotic black metal and spacey, lunar vistas. Chaos Moon may appear to be a typical black metal project on the outside but they are toying with some interesting elements that separate them from the crowded mob of new wave black metal bands. Following in the footsteps of Deathspell Omega, Leviathan and any number of modern black metal outfits, Chaos Moon, hailing from an unlikely Nashville, Tennessee, combine the atmospheric ambiance and spaced out feel of subtle melody changes and wet, liquid tones with the more direct, punctual and precise attack of modern bands like Watain and Keep of Kalessin. Chaos Moon have opted away from the overproduced, hyped up technicality of the aforementioned acts and instead have decided to stay rooted in a more underground production style and more streamlined playing style.

The decision works in their favor and Chaos Moon's 2007 release Languor Into Echoes... Beyond shows a band experimenting with styles, textures and ideas at an expert level. In fact, Chaos Moon's chemistry of melody and ambiance while maintaining the ability to break into vicious black metal frostiness really gives their debut album a helping hand; lifting it to a level beyond mediocre. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Languor is a black metal revelation or the next Transilvanian Hunger etc., but it is an interesting listen to for fans of black metal. The power metal and traditional metal fans out there - particularly those of European leaning - may find some interesting moments on the disc in the form of keyboard and synth sections, but I would reserve listening to veterans of more blackened metal paths. Still, anyone interested in experiencing new and creative music would find Chaos Moon's style worth a listen.

Examining this beast's two visages reveals a lot about what abyss this release pulls its best moments from and what makes songs like "Simulacrum of Mirrors" such rewarding journeys into auditory landscapes. Chaos Moon excel when combining the spacey and black metal components, lack at times when playing only black metal chaos, and are interesting but uninspired when meandering through their cosmic ambient travels. Opening track "De Mortalitate" is an example of all these parts and styles. As an opening track, it prepares the audience (or solitary explorer), presenting them with the view of a full spectrum (mostly) of everything that Languor has to offer on later hymns. For me, the track really expands into something more than mere black metal when the midway break arrives and expands into a combination of the aforementioned elements; the furious black metal and atmospheric space-scapes. It is vicious and epic and soothing simultaneously. It takes two listens to to appreciate "Mortalitates" simple structure and effective progression from blasting to spacey trance, to blasting once more. The subtle decent into trance-like subliminality and instant snap back to chaos mimics the mind's progress in a similar psychological situation. Structurally, it takes the same form as any number of chorus, verse metal songs but where a speed metal or thrash song would have a screaming solo, Chaos Moon instead place an atmospheric puddle of gray moodiness.The song contains a victorious sadness, perhaps saying something philosophical about mortality in it's aura. This victorious sadness is carried through the disc.

It is near the end of second track "Abstract Tongues" that I began to realize that the main perpetrator of Chaos Moon's attack, Esoterica (I must admit, a rather feminine title - I can imagine the dude working overtime as a transsexual mistress (misteress)) is an amazingly talented musician. This becomes even more apparent throughout following track "Waning." Esoterica's guitar playing is heavily inspired by Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, an influence that helps create the atmosphere and trance that is common throughout. Where the disc differs is in the incredible drumming. Instead of opting for the lazy simplicity of Transilvanian Hunger, Esoterica instead employs a powerful barrage of drum battery. While it would far fetched to claim that the drumming is complex, it would be inconsiderate to say it is mindlessly simplistic. I am finding it difficult to tell if the drums are programmed due to their monotony. The clean vocals are provided by M.H. Listen closely during the sound scape in the median of "Simulacrum of Mirrors" and you can actually almost hear background noises. While there is nothing as mood destroying as a telephone ringing or cell phone going off, it does draw my attention away. After four minutes of numbing synths, however, it doesn't take much for my to relocate my focus.

No lyrics are given in the booklet however there are some choice words vague enough to apply to basically anything including but not limited to death, lost love, suicide, depression and the Keebler elves. M.H's clean vocals are audible at times and he seems to be stuck on some issue with a woman.

Chaos Moon are a worthwhile band to check out for fans of black metal with more open minds and a need for something a bit more involved than simple primitive bashing. The primitivism can be found on Languor Into Echoes... Beyond but this is not a simple release. Tracks like "The Palterer" are a prime example of what can be found and explored in Moon's music. Like "Simulacrum," "Palterer" has a vast moody middle section with a slightly proggy feel, melancholy mood and enough subtlety to bring you back several times in the future. Like "Mortalitate," this track also degenerates into more tumultuous churning. "Hymn To Iniquity" also falls into an ambient chasm, this time, accentuated with Esoterica's harsh vocals. Though the fall is steep, a soothing, heavenly melody accompanies you through the songs ritualistic vibe. "Hymn" would be my choice for standout track. It combines the chaos of black metal with the soothing ambient found elsewhere on the cd in a way that maintains my interest. Basically, this is a song you can lay back, close your eyes, and dream along to.

Closer "Countlss Reverie In Mare" follows along with the more ambient / black combination that "Hymn To Iniquity" maintained. The album's second longest track, "Reverie" is a step above a lot of black metal but is a bit fragmented. It too often degenerates into ambient sections to transition. This isn't a bad technique in of itself though when used more than three times in the same song, the effectiveness of said technique decreases. Ultimately, the abundance of soothing ambient on what could be considered the disc's b-side supports the album's two-faced quality. Whether or not this was the intention of Esoterica and M.H is unknown but if it was, It would give the CD yet another dimension to examine: At what point does the disc's focus change? Why? Is this a conceptual album? There are questions in regards to Languor Into Echoes... Beyond that are worth answering to better understand how to listen to the release itself. There is a split on the album though; moments separating the two schools. It comes halfway through "Simulacrum of Mirrors." It is after this moment that the disc drifts away from the blasted aggressiveness of opening tracks "De Mortalitates" and "Waning." While the blasting makes a speedy showing during "The Palterer," the disc ends on a mostly ambient note. With a lot of content, this is a release that will satisfy black metal fans of many different thoughts and leanings.

Chaos Moon are one of those bands that rise from the ashes of the underground black metal scene very quickly into stardom, or as close to stardom as you can get in the black metal scene. Before the double release of full-length albums, I had no idea who Chaos Moon were. In fact, I think a lot of people are in the exact same boat as me, in that respect. Chaos Moon's popularity rose almost over night, it would seem and to me, 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' is the reason why. 'Origin of Apparition' is meant to be a completely different record to 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond', and that's probably a good thing in many people's eyes. In my own opinion, I cannot help but judge on against the other. It makes me wonder whether releasing two albums simultaneously was a good idea. I'm undecided.

'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' begins the Chaos Moon journey and it's a very strong start. It's a black metal album unlike most released in recent times. Why? Well, black metal has become quite formulated recently. Most bands that tend to spring up nowadays sway more towards the depressive side of the black metal genre. Even older bands are heading in that direction because it's popularity seems to be higher. I must admit, I'm an avid fan of depressive black metal, but no one can stand the bedroom acts that appear to dominate the scene's image. That's where Chaos Moon come into the picture and change it all around. 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' isn't a standard depressive release. In actual fact, it's not a depressive release for the majority of the recording. Chaos Moon have developed a sound which allows them to take elements of specific black metal sub-genres, like the ambient and depressive sides, and mould them into one album.

'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' seems to me to be a very peculiar release in that sense. It draws on influences you wouldn't normally associate with one another. From the raw style that sees tremolo picking take a heavier influence on proceedings, to the atmospheric style drawn on by the ambient keyboards. I've always swayed more towards the atmospheric styling, as opposed to the heavier style black metal can take on. Soundscapes are by far more appealing, more revealing and emotive when electric acoustics and keyboards take hold of the audiences imagination. The keyboards don't tend to have much influence to begin with, but as the album draws on, they take hold in a major way. Symphonic styling almost take a firm grasp on 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' and indicate to the audience that Chaos Moon are no standard black metal band. In actual fact, they appear to be quite multi-dimensional, especially in terms of the emotive side. Beautifully crafted song structures are worthy of mentioning. The longer drawn out passages, which offer an insight to the ambiance of Chaos Moon are what I love best about 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond'.

The vocals are on form here. Much more so than on the latter album. They are harsh, but not as harsh. This allows the vocals to become more accessible to the audience. Less distortion of the vocals and the guitars seem to give Chaos Moon more of an edge. The production is perhaps the main cause of this as it seems cleaner to me. This clean approach allows the vocals, guitars, bass and even those blasting percussion sections to all become more accessible to the audience which is a very nice touch. The connection with the audience is heightened because of this and it's pleasing as I'm a fan of feeling a distinct connection with a bands music. 'Simulacrum of Mirrors' and 'The Palterer' are fine examples of what can be achieved by a cleaner sound, more keyboard driven work and overall better presentation of musical ability. 'Languor into Echoes, Beyond' is a fairly original album at times and is a good representation of what USBM is all about.

I thought that the other side of Chaos Moon's two-album simultaneous release, 'Origin Of Apparition', was kind of cool, but somewhat inconsistent and partially crippled by its (intentionally, apparently) ultra-coarse production job. 'Languor Into Echoes, Beyond', though, seems to be more my style; it's blessed with a considerably clearer sound, a seemingly more focused songwriting style, and just a general compositional feel that, while more typically black metal than the other LP, works more for me in particular. I suppose that maybe Chaos Moon does better when working with somewhat more traditional, scaled-back compositions, but then again, it's probably just be a matter of taste.

I guess the strange thing is that what Chaos Moon does on this album really isn't any different from what they do on 'Origin Of Apparition'; it's just presented differently. The more conventional production job is an unbelievably big boost to the quality of the album overall, with the undistorted drum machine allowing a much more audible perception of the riffing and vocals. The former are better defined; less violently atonal and discordant than those on 'Origin Of Apparition', the presence of conventional melody in them seems to draw out Chaos Moon's themes better than on the other release. The vocals also seem better, with, again, less distortion, and a greater variation in their presentation. The structure of this album is fairly similar to that of the other, mixing it up between blasting black metal, slower sections, and keyboard-driven ambient interludes, but this time, the former have become more cohesive, the middle more interesting, and the latter more deftly placed within the album as a whole. The interplay between all those sections is what makes 'Languor Into Echoes, Beyond' a really solid album; tracks like 'Simulacrum Of Mirrors', which take their time to unfold and employ all the different styles Chaos Moon is known for in a single track.

One might also think that this album benefits from not being broken up quite as much as the other, despite its substantially longer running time. This album's seven tracks compared to the other's nine are longer and seemingly more developed, so the general flow of the release seems more even-handed than that of 'Origin Of Apparition'. To stop describing 'Languor Into Echoes, Beyond' in terms of its sister album, I suppose the general sound on this release can be compared to other stalwart members of the USBM scene, ranging from the more dissonant artists like Absonus Noctis to the depressive scene we all know and sometimes love, but Chaos Moon's style is still somewhat different from those, with a more varied aesthetic and overall grasp of presentation. While many other releases in the USBM scene tend to feel like drawn-out demos, there's no doubt that a great deal of thought has been put into both of Chaos Moon's albums, even though I may find one superior to another.

A lot of my complaints about 'Origin Of Echoes' were, even moreso than normal in the course of a music review, a matter of personal taste. I get the general concept of these two albums; 'Languor Into Echoes, Beyond' is clearly supposed to be the more conventional and melodic of the two, while 'Origin Of Apparition' is designed specifically to be an abrasive assault on the senses via savage atonality and choppy presentation. But taste is taste, and the Ars Magna side of Chaos Moon does seem to be more up my alley insofar as presentation goes. I'd encourage most fans of the underground black metal scene to give both a try, as the experience of each album does greatly benefit from conjunction with the other. This one speaks to me a fair bit more than the other, but your experience with it will almost certainly vary. Either way, it's worth your time to have such an experience in the first place, as Chaos Moon does have something new and interesting to offer the black metal listener.