Dimorphic Cynosure

I've been a fan of Thirdmoon and In Slumber's music for quite a while now. Although originally very similar in style to one another, they have tended to drift away from one another in sound as time has progressed.

When I caught wind that this disc was due to hit, I was really excited. In Slumber had just released a grand disc - would Thirdmoon's new one be this enormously heavy release? I didn't know what to expect. Thirdmoon and In Slumber both have been a bit experimental in the past, however.

Thirdmoon has always hinted towards the melodic black metal realm, but are so much more diverse than most melodic black bands are. I don't think that I could even move forward in saying that melodic black is their basis, because it would be tough to pinpoint one specific extreme metal genre that would be.

Upon my first listen to this disc, I realized that I could have never have guessed what was in store for my ears. This disc, first off, is very creative. The guitar players use a wide variety of tones not typically heard in extreme metal. This is immediately evident when track 1, "Slave", starts. Hand drums and mellow vintage tube guitar open this chapter of Thirdmoon's discography.

The jazzy/bluesy break at about 2:02 into track 2, "Crawl Through Subspecies" is another example of this. Utilizing a Whammy Pedal for just a second, tastefully (unlike the latter career of a deceased guitarist for a trendy band that I will leave nameless), this break bridges into a wahwah solo with more aggressive tone.

There are a lot of individual ingredients of this CD to enjoy: a vast variety of guitar tones (I wonder if they bought Behringer V-Amps?), aggressive songs, viking-esque riffing out of nowhere, scant but effective harmonies, and sophisticated yet memorable song structure and riffing, to name a few. The fact that, like Taliandorogd (France - now called Talian), they can use lesser-distorted tones and still achieve very drivy sounds is also impressive.

"Cross The Rubicon" starts off with a very aggressive riff that leaves you wondering where the track is going to go from there. The next riff is more traditional Thirdmoon fare. The solo utilizes Arabic scales with a rock tone. Very creative.

"Cadaverous Haven" revisits the hand drums and Arabic-sounding guitars.

This disc feels a lot longer than it already is. By no means is this because it's boring, or drags on. No sir. There is so much to digest on this CD that it's truly like overeating at a metal buffet. It's not hypertechnical by any stretch. Don't expect Necrophagist (Germany) or Esqarial (Poland) from this release.

As with In Slumber, Thirdmoon doesn't hesitate to treat you to a nice acoustic break, when they see fit. The guitar work in this band isn't Steve Vai flashy, but it's certainly extravagant enough for specific note.

There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Thirdmoon had a great time in the studio recording and mixing this CD, as there are so many nuances and articulations present. I am curious to see if on future releases they can meet or beat the level of creativity and diversity given to us on this disc.