Mustan Kuun Lapset - Kuolemanvirta
Inverse Records
Dark Metal / Black Metal
4 songs (18'23")
Release year: 2016
Inverse Records
Reviewed by Alex

Just last week I mused about what could fall under the definition of dark metal, and now Finnish Mustan Kuun Lapset comes along to add another wrinkle to this discussion. Popular in Finland, although I have never heard before of this band, apparently Mustan Kuun Lapset stood on the verge of being defunct before recently reconsidering their future. EP Kuolemanvirta is the beginning of their comeback.

After electronic flavored intro the first riff of the opening title track reminded me of the mid-era Sentenced right around the time Taneli Jarva began contemplating his departure, but the gothic rock fadeaway was a few albums away, i.e. what I call my favorite Sentenced period. The riffs of Kuolemanvirta, the song, remain persistent, even if they grow more distorted, thus allowing the song to retain its brooding melodicism. Guitar leads weave incessantly and long sorrowfully. At the same time, the vocals search for more extreme angles, providing to Mustan Kuun Lapset uninitiated people, like me, the glimpse of where the band came from or of where it is going. This more extreme semi-black face, albeit with a folksy melody, is how Veritanssi ‘16 sounds like. Not an entirely new track like Kuolemanvirta, it is a new interpretation and re-recording of something from the band’s distant past. Rapid, yet tinny in terms of density, blasts and voice cackles are not to last throughout however, and Mustan Kuun Lapset sheds off its black metal trappings before too long.

The live presentations of other older songs, Valkoinen Satama and Kuka Palvoo Saatanaa, present the same dual personality. Valkoinen Satama sets the tone with a consistent melodic hook, around which everything revolves. Kuka Palvoo Saatanaa is a short and nasty punch, where rougher voice presents a better fit.

For my liking, blacker older Mustan Kuun Lapset is not consistently brazen enough, but its more melodic side, as presented in Kuolemanvirta and Valkoinen Satama, were an interesting listen.

Killing Songs :
Kuolemanvirta
Alex quoted 65 / 100
Other albums by Mustan Kuun Lapset that we have reviewed:
Mustan Kuun Lapset - Ikaros reviewed by Alex and quoted no quote
Mustan Kuun Lapset - Saatto reviewed by Alex and quoted 80 / 100
0 readers voted
Average:
 0
You did not vote yet.
Vote now

There are 0 replies to this review. Last one on Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:30 am
View and Post comments