Artist: Empire Of The Moon
Country: Greece
Label: III Damnation Productions
Formats: 12″ EP / Cassette EP / CD EP
Year: 2026
The fact that Ancient Hellenic Black Metal does not necessarily have to come from Greece is no longer exactly news; many bands from various countries have now mastered the art of passionate Black Metal. Nevertheless, the country of its original origin remains the leading source of the most magical sound within the Black Metal soundscape. Sometimes veterans still come up with new material, or there are new talents who help carry the torch of national pride. But sometimes, too, there are suddenly those (almost) forgotten bands that make themselves heard out of the blue. For example, we hadn’t heard anything from Empire Of The Moon for a while, and for the most part, they’ve remained shrouded in mystery. The band was formed in 1996 by Baron Nosferatu (now shuffling through the shadows as Ouroboros) and R.W. Draconium (also of Chaosbaphomet, and previously a contributor to Tatir, as well as a member of Disharmony’s live line-up), yet, following their first demo tape from 1997, only two albums have been released, in 2014 and 2020. ‘Hecate Unbound’ is therefore only the duo’s fourth release, an undeniably thin yield after three decades of existence, but as is so often the case, it’s not just the quantity that counts…
That said, it’s fair to mention that, after yet another six-year wait, I had hoped for a little more than just two tracks with a running time of just over ten minutes. But if we focus on what we’ve been presented with, no fan of Greek Black Metal can remain downcast for long: this is the sort of Black Metal that makes our hearts beat faster. There’s no need to talk about originality; that’s hardly, if at all, what this genre is about. All the necessary ingredients are present and skilfully intertwined. In the first song, the title track, which stands out as the highlight, the open Heavy Metal riffs and the truly stunning lead guitar work of Achilleas Kalantzis (Varathron & Katavasia) are cleverly woven together. To lend the whole thing even more authenticity, the title track also features guest vocals from Stefan Necroabyssious (Varathron). It should come as no surprise that the result achieves a certain degree of perfection: catchy, dark and soulful at the same time.
The second track, ‘Mastery Of Blood’, is a track that has been given a new lease of life. The original appeared on the debut album ‘Πανσέληνος’ (Acherontas Promotions/Floga Records), released in 2014. Overall, it sounds slightly flatter than the title track, particularly when it comes to the lead guitar parts, but with its focus on riffs and its slightly faster tempo, it is still a thoroughly great Greek Black Metal track.
The opening track of this EP alone makes it more than worth a listen. The only question is whether it’s worth buying the vinyl version in particular, because although the tracks are the ideal length for a 7” EP, they’ve been pressed on one side of a 12” LP, which means the price and postage are considerably higher. I did the maths myself and came up with a total of €40. That might be a bit of a stretch for just one new track and one reworked version of a twelve-year-old song. Fortunately, for those who prefer it, there’s also a version available on cassette tape and CD.
Apart from this economical consideration, hopefully this is a sign that we’ll finally be getting more new material from Empire Of The Moon; after all, it’s about time for a new album.
