Sons of an Eastern Moon – L’Anse Aux Metals
April 27th, 2019
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Folk Metal
What can I say about Sons of an Eastern Moon that hasn’t already been said at this point? The band almost took over the metal scene in St. John’s in one fell swoop over the course of the last year, consistently playing shows in packed venues, drawing thick crowds for good reason. They are without a doubt one of the freshest groups on the go in the scene right now, and the release of their debut album, L’Anse Aux Metals, proves that they have exactly what it takes to continue their raids across the island and hopefully beyond.
The first thing that will stick out to new listeners of the band is the vocals. Frontman Kris “Thor Odinson” Ross lets loose with a raspy falsetto no doubt inspired by the shrieking cries of Cam Pipes from the now defunct 3 Inches of Blood. Ross has remarked before how it took him quite a bit of trial and error to nail down exactly what he wanted his vocal style to be, going back and forth between clean singing and the typical death metal growls before finally settling on the current style, and I think that was a fantastic choice. Its not often you get this style of riffage and musicianship accompanied by clean vocals, less so clean vocals in this high octave range. That being said, while Ross’ vocals aren’t polished by any means, I believe that lends to this style of music. The dirtiness and occasional off-key moments accentuate the barbarian-esque theme of the band, adding to their overall style and image . Its very punk rock.
Instrumental-wise we’re given a real treat for the ears. The riffs on this thing are what the meat of the album is based on. Dual guitar duo Cory Fagan and John Roach may be fledglings in this genre, following in the footsteps of many great Viking metal bands before them such as Amon Amarth or the almighty Tyr, but they can shred and write with the best of them. There isn’t a single moment on this record where the riffing feels phoned in or used as filler. Every riff here matters. Take for example, the earworm that is the bridge section of “Serpent’s Rise”, a jaunty jig-inducing melody that will instantly get stuck in your head before the song goes back into the main riff once again to close out the track. The melodies here are deliberate and focused, doing a stellar job of drawing the listener in to a fantastical world of ancient Nordic history and myth. Even the acoustic interlude “Full Sails and Calm Seas” pulls no punches with evoking imagery of pirates and brigands of all sorts sailing the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.
Of course its not all folksiness from front to back. On occasion the songs on here delve into much darker territory, the most prime example being “Scorched Steeples”, which is not only the heaviest hitter on L’Anse Aux Metals, but also borrows heavily from the brutal side of melodic death metal a la At the Gates and even has a minute but noticeable black metal influence. The band has stated that groups Immortal and I have had an impact on their sound, and in fact covered a song by I at one of their performances, so it makes sense to see that influence wade through in their recorded material.
The rhythm section on L’Anse Aux Metals pulls no punches either. Bassist Robert Peyton keeps the groove held down in simple-but-effective thudding basslines behind the guitar riffs, adding a thick layer of low heaviness underneath the soaring highs of Fagan and Roach. Meanwhile drummer Benoit Roy maintains himself as a rhythmic powerhouse who can be flashy when he needs to be but isn’t a show-off either. Slower tracks like “Under the Eastern Moon” have simple beats behind them which works for the overall context of the songs. He knows when it sounds best to use the hi-hat and ride during verses, to use the crash during choruses and uses the china exactly when you want him to. Not to mention the double bass drumming here is on point, coming in at just the right moments, tying the tightness of the band together in a nice, neat, little bow.
Lyrically the album covers the standard fare you’d expect from any folk metal band; Vikings, paganism, northern European history and culture, Norse mythology, etc, and it makes sense. As most of us know already, Newfoundland and Labrador has a proud bit of Viking history behind it, with the ancient Viking settlement of L’Anse Aux Meadows, from which the album gets its name, located at the extreme northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. As the location of the first European contact with the Americas I’m honestly surprised a Newfoundland band hasn’t come by sooner to tap into this topic and this genre. It seems to me that our province would be teeming with metalheads willing to write about the Vikings but aside from a few songs here and there by some select bands, Sons of an Eastern Moon are the first band to hang their entire sound upon this theme.
When all is said and done, Sons of an Eastern Moon have really accomplished something special here. They’re one of the few bands from our province whose music has actually given me shivers, that feeling of elation you get when you listen to a song that’s so good and touches you in that special way that few other songs can. In just a single album they’ve managed to, at least in my eyes, catapult themselves into the ring with the other modern metal contemporaries in this province. Alongside Emblem, Deadgaard and Allagash these Vikings are now a part of the metal revolution that’s happening on the island. If you haven’t heard L’Anse Aux Metals yet, what in the Hel are you waiting for?
Final Verdict: 9/10
Favourite Tracks:
“Scorched Steeples”
“Under the Eastern Moon”
“The Battle of Utgard”
For Fans Of:
Amon Amarth
Tyr
3 Inches of Blood
~ Akhenaten
HeavyNFLD 