It is either me feeling a little nostalgic, or the pair of releases I grabbed off Hells Headbangers this week dug deeply into the past. Whereas Armour (Finland) does an awesome trip down memory lane into the 80s traditional metal, two Aussies Hunters Moon delved into Bathory legacy rather heavily on their EP The Serpents Lust.

Their Blood Fire Death resemblance uncanny, Hunters Moon truly captured the larger-than-life bombast of that era Bathory with its booming drums and cascading riffs on A Light in the Abyss. The Ravens Swoon continues pretty much in the same vein serving its riffs in an interesting “rolling wheel” sort of fashion. The title track is a more measured crusher, Hunters Moon own march to war, the track possibly needing more happening and development. For instance, Immortal knows how to hit home runs with songs of this nature every time they try.

Aside from the unashamed Bathory worship, the EP does have a feel of other tracks thrown together a bit haphazardly. Two instrumentals feel like they belong little here. The mood setting intro Deadly Paradise does nothing to preface A Light in the Abyss, and the closer Last Rites wipes out the dirt off the guitars way too much, the composition leaving a definite “want” for it to be heard in the regular distorted production. The vocals, where present, also sound a bit buried in the mix, taking one part out of the necessary self-imposed epic black metal equation.

In the middle of this proto black metal flowing EP, Hunters Moon steps sideways for a Baphomet cover of old NWOBHM outfit Angel Witch. The choice may be surprising, but this song provides for a tempo pickup on the EP, its flow quite a bit more maddening, bouncy and off-the-wall than Hunters Moon own material. If not for Baphomet, the band, perhaps, would forego thrashing altogether. Alas, the song’s historic solo is present, performed well, with one guitar burrowing itself deep into it, while another continues providing chord background.

Hunters Moon demonstrated a definite ability to compose a riff. How far their riffs will deviate from Bathory, only the future will show. In this case, dwelling too much in the past will make for definite lack of progress.