The incredibly talented independent four piece from Bristol, UK, delivers on the promises made by their previous two singles of high quality Technical Blackened Doom Metal with their new ep DESCENT. Having formed in 2018 they are fairly new to the scene, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the quality of production and the proficiency of their instrumentation and song writing.

The EP opens with deceptively delicate guitar strumming, before slamming you headfirst into the profound growls of Morgan Cradick and the deeply heavy guitar and drum tones. The crack of the snare tears through the music like a gunshot. A real breakneck tempo change in track 2, lurching you into a great punky, groove metal vibe, made even more impactful by the glaring contrast of the slower sections of them. The sudden change of tempo gives the slower sections much more power, making them feel even heavier than they are, whilst the quicker section adds a whole lot more excitement to the song. We are treated to come clean sung vocals nearer the end of the track all before a fantastic breakdown with an incredibly punchy double kick and vocal cues.

Technicality shines through in "clockwork", a really cool bass pedal pattern following the guitar riff perfectly. We hear the vocals at their most brutal, making this easily one of the heaviest songs on the EP. The song descends into a stripped back guitar melody backing up a mechanical voice effect, before re-ascending into a screaming blackened finale that gave me chills. "Godeater" dips into the world of metalcore with elements of hardcore drumming, and vocals that wouldn't be out of place on a Death Metal record. Chanted clean vocals add to hardcore vibe, and I am a huge fan of the regretfully relevant lyric, "Take solace in Armageddon." The final track offers a more emotional take on the pessimistic rage throughout the ep, solemn yet hopeful guitar riffs and melodies, and a wide range of drumming styles, from progressive and incredibly heavy to soft and soulful, this song will have you headbanging with a tear rolling down your eye.

This is an incredibly impressive debut release, and I'm hoping it is the beginning of a long and successful run for MOON REAPER, a wonderfully stylistic and talented group. They already demonstrate a vast range of genres and styles in just these five songs, which are bursting with interesting ideas to be expanded on, as well as showing a clear skill in writing and instrumentation. I will for sure be catching these guys on their next UK tour.