While browsing record label Blood Moon's latest releases, the ghoulish, foreboding artwork of this Pennsylvanian duo, Chaos Moon, caught my eye. The music is equally frightening and monstrous as the eerie, ghostly figure on the cover art would inspire. Eschaton Mémoire is an esoteric breed of Black Metal, conjuring engulfing atmospheres of arcane mysticism, witchery and the occult. Far from the barbaric, brutal thrashings of rebellious satanism heard in the genres primitive roots, Chaos Moon craft indulgent journeys through unforgiving realms beyond the grave. Although a grip of aggression is felt through blast beats and the grisly, glaring roars of the singer, the albums charm and wonder comes with passing swells of dreary, haunting melodies that collide into ambiguity, drowning in its own mood as deranged guitar riffs and swamping synths of obscuring fog meet under the light of a full moon.
With many listens the song structures of these three lengthy tracks still feel illusive. Its thick and howling tone is overwhelming and keeps the listener locked into each passing moments gravity. Even when recurring themes and compositions reveal their familiarity the thick, smothering tone and wealth of bulging sound just enriches the ghostly, ambiguous feel. Its fondly reminiscent of I Shalt Become whom I'm yet to talk of on this blog. Their miserable and mystic character is likely to have been an influence but the power of this music sheds no thoughts of other influences. Its atmosphere is massive, harrowing and black yet memorizing and trippy, like a psychedelic journey through the world of the dead. Its looses some charm when dominating screams pound alongside furious blast beats, its chemistry is in atmosphere and when the drums slow down to guide the direction it is truly wonderful if not eerily creepy slightly madening.
Rating: 8/10