Secrets of the Moon

Privilegium

Lupus Lounge 2009

Germany's premiere black metal band, Secrets of the Moon, try to follow up one of the best black metal albums of the recent past, Antithesis.  There are still some surface references to Samael loitering within SOTM's style.  However this album has taken an even further step towards thick, controlled riffing combined with esoteric aesthetics and a mystical aura.  After an intro of operatic and industrial pomp that would do modern Celtic Frost proud, the brooding, contemplative darkness of Sulphur creeps in like a ethereal phantasm.  Menacing guitars slowly build in power until a deliberate and spiritually terrifying plateau is achieved.  various thematic movements and effects are weaved into the fabric of the spell SOTM is casting as clean guitars, operatic female vocals, synths, and crackling static each surface within the texture of the composition.  The pacing is very methodical and SOTM only unleash any sort of speed and bestial rage around the 8:20 mark.  The next ritual, Black Halo delves into a sorrowful, half melody to begin its proceedings before building up quick, hacksaw riffing, and thusly begins an alternating dance between these two approaches.  Vocally sG delivers a very authoritative and confident approach, as if he were delivering a sermon of certainty.  The song eventually drifts into a churning sea of heavy riffing and a Nordic melody.  Harvest features a tribalistic opening drum section that invokes a shamanistic quality to the disharmonic clean guitar that builds on top of it.  The track's spiral motion screws the tension slowly upward.  My favorite track has to be For They Know Not.  Clean guitars and a doomy feeling of regret permeate the framework of the song as deep, clean vocals speak those very words Jesus is supposed to have uttered.  Then guttural, black metal vocals and nihilistic riffs grind away at the boundaries of the song corrupting and perverting the meanings of those same words.  Forgiveness is denied from these commadning vocals and totalitarian riffs.   Privilegium is proof that underground and "True" black metal can be well produced and still achieve a devastation of dogmatic paradigms.  You certainly get your money's worth as Privilegium clocks in at over 1 hour and thirteen minutes.  Secrets of the Moon has built upon and expanded their ceremonial occult conjurings created by their previous efforts and especially on Antithesis.  Privilegium is a mystical and musical incantation of the dark abyss.  It stand as one of the best and most well thought out albums of the year.