Death Is Coming
[Iso 666]

While many black metal bands from southern Europe have been around for years, it seems only recently that many of them have recieved any attention. Italy's Frostmoon Eclipse have been around since way back in 1994, and I am amazed that they have recently released just their second full-length, Death Is Coming. It is a fine example of non-Scandinavian black metal with a Mediterranean flair.

Frostmoon Eclipse mix blasting black metal with lots of softer acoustic passages and mid-tempo sections. They remind me of early Opeth and even Rotting Christ at times, with their constant tempo shifts and slight progressive edge, and a little Immortal influence is evident in the more blasting sections. One curious sonic characteristic is their use of bass guitar. At times, it almost obscures the rhtyhm guitar, taking an almost lead role. I'm not quite sure if this was done on purpose, but it seems to work well with their style.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, lyrical content is not the usual anti-Christian or Satanic rhetoric, but more death-oriented subject matter. Death is treated in an almost doom-like manner, rather than a "blood and guts" sort of way. There is a bit of Satanic reference ("World In Ruin"), but it is handled in a more subtle way than most bands.

Drummer Gionata Potenti handles the vocals in the studio (they have a different vocalist live), and he has a good black metal shriek, with a slightly deeper tone than most vocalists of the genre. He also throws in a few death growls for good measure here and there.

There is a different type of production on Death Is Coming than most black metal bands. Relying more on bass guitar and acoustic guitar, Frostmoon Eclipse create much more atmosphere and a cleaner sound than other black metal bands who don't use keyboards. Like I stated before, the bass guitar overtakes the distorted rhtyhm guitar at times, and it is such a refeshing change from the norm. The drums are recorded very well, with a live sound to them. They are fairly high in the mix, as well.

For those who love older Opeth, but want more of a black metal edge, this is the album for you. Death Is Coming has a little of everything: black metal fury, plenty of atmosphere, a bit of prog, and cliche-free lyrical content. This is a fine example of non-Scandinavian black metal.