Artist: MOONLOOP
Album: Deeply from the Earth
Label: Listenable Records
Year: May 2012

1. Awaking Spirals of Time
2. Beginning of the End
3. A Life Divided
4. Fading Faces
5. Strombus
6. Deceiving Time
7. Legacy of Fear
8. Wailing Road
9. Landscape
10. Atlantis Rising

Upon entering the first track you are given the much famous harmonic minor with beautiful ‘Satriani/Vai’ type solos, mixed with the most atmospheric textures one could ever ask for in the first track. ‘Beginning of the End’ follows up next with a colourful array of beats and odd picking sequences before the growling vocals takes a turn giving you an intense listening experience. Again we’re given a very colourful mixture of solo’s and breakdowns from the guitars with wah/wah’s laying down the most superior textures and solo’s. The rhythms keep a perfect timing between each of the phrases making way for some extreme features ever to hit your ears.

As you progress through the album, the combination of ‘Opeth’ like features come creeping through the sides giving you another view into a very tactical experiment of this Death Metal band. ‘Fading Faces’ has all the necessary elements to make it not only catchy, but very enjoyable to listen to; from the deep growling and the obscure melodies, into the beautifully strange breakdown with legato and tapped sequences taking the guitars into a realm of their own. As we hit ‘Strombus’ things get slight stranger, if that’s possible! The mixture of Tremolo bar (Whammy) dives and soft classical effect riffs into the most exotic solo on this album, add to this vocal combinations between the growls and the softer backing vocals, then back into death metal is simply at its best and gives you an all out experience most bands will never achieve. The time signature changes really screw with the head but they are so well executed and performed leaving you with a small amount of clarity. ‘Deceiving Time’ starts with a mix of really well controlled feedback and acoustic chord progressions, add to this a distinct sequence of panning between the ears then into metal gallops and high octane picking, phrasing and harmonic (sometimes octave) divides between guitars; this album really has it all. ‘Atlantis Rising’ has some of the most creepy yet beautiful female vocal wailings ever to set foot in an intro, then into the pre-verse and it’s back to the odd time signatures and obscure riffs. Just after half way the bass and lead guitars slow the pace down and put you slap bang in another world, melodic harmonies and choral vocals opening up your mind for another experience.

Absolutely astonishing!

If you want a mix between Satriani, GzR, God Forbid, then you’ll love this!

10/10

Reviewed by Dylan Raine