Lunar Aurora - Mond
Cold Dimensions
Black Metal
7 songs (46:42)
Release year: 2005
Cold Dimensions
Reviewed by Tony
Archive review

One of the only reviews I ever wrote where it was universally agreed upon that it should be score 90+ was Andacht by German Black Metal champions Lunar Aurora. What an album that was!!! I decided as the resident Black Metal specialist that it was necessary for me to delve deeper into their discography and see what I could find. This is the second album I have ordered out of their catalog, and I must say, Lunar Aurora have ceased to disappoint me and probably never will.

After reviewing Andacht I immediately reserved the right to review two additional albums from Lunar Aurora. I’m not sure why I put this off for so long, as Mond proves to be nothing short of another slice of perfection by Lunar Aurora, a band that continues amaze me each time I obtain another disc from these legends. It is truly disappointing that they are on indefinite hiatus, as I feel with creativity, songwriting, as well as the complete mastery of their respective instruments they have a lot left in them.

Yes, the first track is Groll, just an intro, and that bothers me. But Lunar Aurora make up for it in every way, especially with the first two songs, that absolutely blow me away. Aufgewacht is first, and if you hadn’t previously guessed, the lyrics are once again in German, leaving me unable to determine the song meanings. Does it really matter though? As the need to be fluent in German is not required, Lunar Aurora slay once again. The first thing you’ll probably notice about Mond is the number of blast beats are increased compared to Andacht. While a ton of blast beats annoy me sometimes, Lunar Aurora always do well to vary their drum beats, and when blasts are played, they are incredibly precise. Rastlos has some of the best riffs I’ve heard in all of Black Metal. When this riff is played there are sometimes horn synth tracks thrown in there. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you hear the menacing heaviness of these guitars, which are layered at various times over differing drum lines. This riff, and the subsequent riffs, some over space like eerie effects, absolutely pummel the listener. Yet the heaviness is more artistically arranged than just some brutal riffs over blast beats. Everything Lunar Aurora do has a purpose, and everything is deeper and grows deeper during each and every listen. Everything that exemplifies Lunar Aurora as one of the great Black Metal acts of the last 10-15 years is put forth in a song like Rastlos.

Schwarz Winde is next and is probably my least favorite track on the album. This doesn't mean it's a bad song. It's just 9 minutes of pretty much all blast beats. What you'll notice on Mond is that there are less keyboards and synth tracks but when they're around they create a more epic atmosphere over a darkened and bleak feel. Another major difference is the guitars are more dense, with a more overwhelming and chaotic wall of sound that can sometimes grow to be too much if your ears are not in the mood for a Black Metal onslaught of this proportion. The final two songs, Heimkehr and Welk close the album with sheer brilliance.

There are differences on Mond vs. Andacht such as the increased blast beats and more no nonsense Black Metal, favoring theatrical riffs over spooky synth imagery. What is constant though is the superb guitar work, strong German vocals, and precise and perfect drumming, laden with double bass and superb cymbal work. What also stays true is that Lunar Aurora consistently show that they are truly the best of the best in German Black Metal. I look forward to providing more reviews of Lunar Aurora soon, as I strongly feel that these masters of Black Metal will never disappoint me.

Killing Songs :
ALL!!!
Tony quoted 93 / 100
Other albums by Lunar Aurora that we have reviewed:
Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht reviewed by Tony and quoted 83 / 100
Lunar Aurora - Ars Moriendi reviewed by Tony and quoted 89 / 100
Lunar Aurora - Seelenfeuer reviewed by Tony and quoted 93 / 100
Lunar Aurora - Weltenganger reviewed by Tony and quoted 96 / 100
Lunar Aurora - Andacht reviewed by Tony and quoted 100 / 100
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