Artist: Upon Stone
Country: USA
Label: Century Media
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2024

The early 90’s were the domain of Swedish Death Metal in its most primal form, following the path first paved by Nihilist and giving way to bands like Grave and Dismember to extend the reach of the extreme metal scene of the Scandinavian country. Yet it took not too long before many bands started to experiment with more exotic elements, consequently forging new sub-genres in the Death Metal spectrum. Some bands, including Entombed, went on to explore more rock-‘n’-roll territories, yet a slew of bands were keeping themselves more true to the Death Metal aesthetics yet opted for a way more melodic approach. It were bands like Desultory, Ceremonial Oath, At The Gates and Eucharist who can generally be seen as the founding fathers of what would eventually be regarded as Melodic Swedish Death Metal.

That more melodic take on the Death Metal genre mostly concentrated around the Gothenburg area, so consequently taking on the label of the “Gothenburg Sound”. As opposed to the more classic sound of Entombed and Unleashed, all based on the HM2-pedal sound and produced by Tomas Skogsberg, these new bands had a well-developed sense for melody and catchy song writing. Where bands like Ceremonial Oath and Eucharist eventually turned out to be short-lived entities, they surely paved the road for bands like In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, who, together with At The Gates, would grow to true flagships of the genre, even until this very day.

This particular sound, which peaked around the late 90’s, saw a decline in interest around the 00’s but was later hijacked by a whole new generation of bands that mixed the thoroughly melodic nature of the music with hints of (mid-era) Slayer and Hardcore. This resulted in bands like Trivium, As I Lay Dying, Caliban, Heaven Shall Burn and Shadows Fall. Whether their take on the musical formula was appealing to you, as a listener, is of course a matter of taste, but for sure it inspired countless of new musicians and fans alike.

Yet, just like every musical movement, also the popularity of the Melodic Hardcore variant of that recognizable sound faded. And that, basically, is as far as the history of this unique sound goes. Until next year when a new band called Majesties from the USA released their debut album ‘Vast Reaches Unclaimed’, just out of the blue. This 20 Buck Spin released album received rave reviews of both media and listeners, it was regarded as a return to the classic In Flames sound. Although I thought it was a well-done debut, it didn’t catch me in the same way as many of the other media claimed it did. But, at least it offered something fresh in a pretty Old School dominated Death Metal landscape.

And just like Majesties came seemingly out of nothing, so did Upon Stone. Although this also USA-based band already put out a short-player in 2021 it is highly unlikely that it ever reached many ears. Let’s put it this way, it at least never reached mine. But, holy crap, ‘Dead Mother Moon’ is an unbelievable piece of work for a debut album. Where Majesties failed to convince me, Upon Stone does so without effort. Upon Stone follows the same musical formula as Majesties and their common Swedish examples, offering a thoroughly melodic and catchy affair without compromising on heaviness and that overall recognizable crunch in the guitar tone.

One minute they sound more aggressive, much in the At The Gates tradition (including the snarly and hostile Tomas “Tompa” Lindgren vocal delivery), the other they take on a more In Flames approaching with that authentic buzzing guitar tone. Even the more melancholic Dark Tranquillity sort of take on the genre is omnipresent and adds to that pure and bona fide Gothenburg feel of the album. Yet, while the music obviously is offering more than a friendly nod to the heydays of the genre, Upon Stone doesn’t solely sound like it is only borrowing or even ripping off their prime examples. Instead, they are able to lift that musical legacy to contemporary standards, even incorporating some elements from the more modern Hardcore oriented spin offs. Especially on the vocal department a more modern approach is used, yet without really sounding like those aforementioned bands – yet, it is not a coincidence that Shadows Fall singer Brian Fair was invited to contribute guest vocals for one song. Also on the production side of things ‘Dead Mother Moon’ supplies a more contemporary experience, whereas lots of the classics out of the genre might feel a little inaccessible to today’s ears, one could even make a case that some of those classics didn’t age that well, Upon Stone’s debut album has a near-perfect production. It is a well-balanced production that is clear enough to let all elements and details find its way out of the music but leaves enough of a raw edge to keep its authentic feel.

Without a glimmer of a doubt, ‘Dead Mother Moon’ is a impressive debut album that offers not only a great listen from A-to-Z (maybe the last track, the ‘Dig Up Your Bones’ cover by Misfits is not offering too much and could as well be left out) but can be experienced as thoroughly refreshing in a musical landscape that hardly offers anything alike…