Secrets Of The Moon - Antithesis

*=Staff's pick	Nowhere (11:18) Versus* Ordinance* Confessions Metamorphosis Ghost Seraphim Is Dead* Lucifer Speaks Exit

Genre	Extreme Metal	Daevas	Vocals
Tracks	9	A.D.	Guitar
Runningtime	59 Min.	sG	Guitar
Label	Lupus Lounge	Daevas	Bass
Release	15 Sept. 2006	T.Thelemnar	Drums
Country	Germany	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Satyricon

Secrets Of The Moon was formed in Osnabrueck, Germany in 1995 and with Antithesis they release their fourth full-length album. They are being described with lots of references to black metal but I guess that refers more to their past then to their actual present. Surely there are traces of black metal but I would prefer to describe their music as something like a semi-progressive hybrid between heavy metal and death metal. Or spiritual darkness paired with a very progressive approach, if you are to believe the following info, even if I would leave out very in front of progressive.

After the first track that can be seen as an intro, the track Versus comes with an apparent closeness to the recent release from Satyricon, Now Diabolical. A dark track that is straight forward aggressive and borders to death metal with a progressive touch in the sense of tempo-shifts and "starts and stops" in the music. Surely a great track that gets you in the right evil mood. And it is with songs like this Secrets Of The Moon comes out at their best. Ordinance with its blastbeats mixed with calmer leads compared to Versus provides another powerful highlight at an early stage of the album, it is like a mix of Satyricon and Kreator and if it could only have continued like this the entire way.

Beneath all the tracks there is another layer, Secrets Of The Moon try to create a certain mood or ambience and try to be innovative. There is more to it then what first meets the ear but it also tends to be to "arty" or pretentious at times, as if they are trying to hard. As with the track Metamorphosis where it tends to become introverted and then it all falls down, it doesn't hold together in my ears, or perhaps I am just too narrow-minded. A positive thing is that there always is a bite in the music, it has an edge but all songs do not hold together that well. The intentions are there and bits and pieces work but to often the entire songs lack some kind of glue even if they successfully create atmospheres and the drumming from T. Thelemnar impresses me. Antithesis from Secrets Of The Moon is a good album and they should get credit for trying to be innovative, even if I would have preferred less introverted parts and more of the straightforward stuff, as it is with that they come out at their best.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
7	6	5

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Thomas