I adored this French duo’s debut album, ‘The Eternal Harvest’, released in February 2022 which I reviewed for the site back then, it was a superlative example of how to construct emotive atmospheric black metal but with abundant aggression. It has had regular play since then and will continue to do so alongside this equally mesmeric sophomore. The duo of Äzh and M., playing drums/guitar and guitar/bass/vocals respectively, have easily matched their debut in terms of quality and ambition within the six compositions they’ve constructed.
Everything that Lunar Tombfields do is done with precision, each moment is timed to perfection as the album opens with an elongated intro piece titled ‘An Elegy To The Fog Dancer’ which has a curious title I thought. Instead of luring listeners in with an ambient introduction to the album the band prefers to use doom-death as the foundation, though with a much harsher tone of course. The way the opening track weaves its tendrils around you into a web of entrancing captivation perfectly sets the scene for ‘Solar Charioteer’ to kick in with straight atmospheric black metal riffing with an exceptional piercing guitar hook. I love the song, it typifies just how atmospheric black metal should sound and I could listen to it for hours. As the caustic vitriolic vocals filter into the mix the song uses the blasting speed to great effect, producing a steadfast sweeping avalanche of musicality. The colossal riff change about three minutes in is absolutely breath-taking, it lifts you off your feet as the tension escalates along with hurtling the tune beautifully towards another change in mood. The pace drops significantly to unfurl a more atmospheric and even ambient phase with another fine guitar hook that carries the song to its conclusion.
‘Represailles’ follows and the initial much slower poignant pacing gives the song an avenue, down which it displays a doleful aura with drifting melancholy, until the abrupt but fluid switch in riff to atmospheric black metal riffing. The way the song uses harsh and cleaner vocals gives the song another facet as it steps on the pace into blasting territory. The track is enormously epic and even when it slows down again that precision of placing moments like climaxes into the songs works brilliantly. A haunting lead break is added about half way in adding more to an already packed track. ‘As Iron Calls, So Pile The Dreams’ has a short narrated opening before the expected eruption as the song possesses waves of aggression delivered via the guitar work but also the passionately sang vocals. Like the other songs it uses copious tempo changes along with riff deviations to ensure the song has a massive enshrouding grandiosity.
The much starker start to ‘The Amber Hard’ has an older black metal feel to it, but only briefly before the song unveils its mournful guitar work. You can feel the song building, each passing moment layering on tension until the swift but cohesive change in pace. The vocals again have that harsh but clean tone that is emotive and possesses an almost heart wrenching delivery. I love the way the band constantly changes how the songs flow, adding short snippets in riff or tempo changes to make each feel like an exploration as the album closes with the magnificent ‘Le Chant Des Tombes’.
The bridge between songs on the album is minimal, making the release listen like one continuous opus as the ambient start to the album’s closer leads into a sinister change in pace. The cascading use of double kick works to produce a catchiness you cannot fail to be caressed by. Even when the song steps into blast beat territory it still has that intrinsic melody to grasp onto, especially with the wonderful riff change about a third of the way in. Like the other songs it spirals around ever morphing riffs, tempos and vocals as the song dissolves to leave atmospherics and an eerie aura. The guitar fades back in gradually elevating the tension superbly to the point where you’d think it was a different song. Here the vocals take on a full clean spoken style that adds to its charisma as the guitar work gradually intensifies heading into its last three minutes of epic atmospheric black metal; it makes your skin bristle, well it did mine anyway.
Lunar Tombfields second album is every bit as majestic and extravagant as the debut, the way the band has this innate ability to weave inherent aggression around stunning atmospheric riffing is staggering once again.
(9.5/10 Martin Harris)
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