LUNAR SPELLS is a new Black Metal band formed in Athens, Greece. This is their debut album here, (an EP, perhaps?) and contains four tracks. Being a Black Metal band, they are keeping with the theme of being as anonymous as possible. "Witchcraft Spells" opens the album...a quick two-and-a-half-minute opener. It starts with a slow groove, and some nice guitar work. The drums don't overtake the track either. Since there are no vocals, you can get a clear idea of the harrowing sound they are trying to build here.

"Beyond our Darkest Path" features a more traditional Black Metal sound...a wall of guitars, galloping drums, vocal screams, and also a track where the bass gets lost in the mix. Cymbals crash all around you. The guitars do develop a bit of melody here in their thick structure. "Howling Winds of the Eternal Sea" begins with a slower groove and the guitars are not up in your face so much. There are also some keys in the background, that augment the overall sound here. It picks up in pace here, with some dominating and punishing guitar work. The drums go into overtime mode towards the end, playing with a hatred that might break apart the kit.

"Moonlight's Depths" closes the album. At close to seven minutes in length, it begins with utter madness. The sky is crashing in around you, and the earth rumbling, preparing for an explosion that will wipe out all signs of life on the planet. It slows around the half-way mark, with spoken words that you cannot quite make out. From there, a desolate sound develops, grinding down on you from above. The last final minute is some atmospheric tones that you might encounter in outer space.

It's just a bit hard to rate an album from four tracks, but I like what the band has done here. They present four different songs that share a central core but also explore a while, and their subtle use of melody does help to break apart the anger and rage from the guitars and vocals. Keep an eye on this band, because I have a feeling their next album could be a real banger.