Artist: Order Of Nosferat / Lunar Spells
Country: Germany & Finland / Greece
Label: Northern Silence Productions
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2023
Because both bands on this Northern Silence presented split LP released full-length albums fairly recently, with Order Of Nosferat even releasing two albums in 2022, the music of both acts was still very fresh in my memory. Although, contrary to popular opinion, I was not very impressed by Lunar Spell’s ‘Demise Of Heaven’, I was very much looking forward to this split LP in particular for Order Of Nosferat’s contribution, whose last two albums delighted me immensely.
The Finnish/German duo opens the split with their five-song set that is entirely in line with their previously released work. That means we are once again presented with a healthy serving of Vampiric Black Metal laced with Dungeon Synth passages and completed with a compelling authentic and atmospheric sound. Like kindred spirits such as Vampiric Blood and Drowning The Light, for instance, the guitars do not sound particularly sharp and almost seem to be given a background role compared to the keyboards that set the main mood. As on the previous two albums, the music has taken on a deep emotional charge with the melancholy and a sense of loneliness oozing out in a big way. It may not all be tremendously original, yet the band has acquired a distinct musical identity and is consequently very recognisable. Finally, it’s the scratchy vocals that complete the picture and ensure that Order Of Nosferat’s side of this split LP is without a doubt eminently successful.
As already briefly touched upon, Lunar Spells has yet to really convince me. Both the debut EP and the two subsequent albums struck me as a band struggling to find the balance between a more raw approach to the Black Metal genre and one that highlights the symphonic side. The result was that it didn’t actually do justice to either side. Although Lunar Spells on this split LP still does not reach the level I think it could, the Greeks do bring their best work to the table here. It’s not just a better balance musically that stands out, but the sound itself feels much more natural and ultimately fits well with what the band presents us with. The four tracks, including intro, bring a well-honed kind of Black Metal in which the repellent melodies are carried by the guitars and the overall ambience is completed by a fairly rough and somewhat oppressive sound. That the scratchy vocals are a bit too standard does not detract too much from the result otherwise. It could be coincidence, of course, but both musically and production-wise the music is now fairly close to what Order Of Nosferat showcased on side A, though of course with those elements that Lunar Spells values highly. As such, it still sounds very melodic and at times somewhat bombastic, perhaps occasionally it still sounds a bit overly simple, but that doesn’t stop me from being able to appreciate this side of the split LP as well.
