Atmospheric Black Metal. I hear if you mutter that three times into your mirror at night then Varg Vikernes will appear behind you unsure of how he got there... Anyway, CERULEAN DAWN, a two-piece Black Metal outfit, hailing from New England here to take us on an interstellar journey with their debut release "The Octant Moons". The artwork is simple, but playing straight into the ideals of the title, it is the perfect cover for this EP. The album opens with "Dawning Of The Third Moon" and, oh my god. Atmospheric is such an apt word for this; the clean guitars, the added dimension of the wind, I am lost in a trance.

The aggressive kick in does not break the spell cast on me, although the cat may have launched herself three feet in the air! Aggressive riffs, relentless blast beats and a mesmerizing vocal line provide the foundations for this 12-minute epic. However, there is more to this than the meat and bones of the music. It is light and airy, almost ethereal and in a flash, it is over as soon as it has begun, the track is a journey that one MUST take. "Watcher At The End Of Time" is another epic, what CERULEAN DAWN have lacked in tracking, they have surely made up for in the actual length of the released tracks.

But I am sure most will agree with me, it is quality not quantity that matters, and quality is the best way to describe what I am hearing. The flow of the music, the depth and intricacies. Christ, this is fantastic! I will not ruin too much of the music, as it simply HAS to be heard, a late addition to the releases of 2020, however possibly one of the top releases that I have come across. It was an absolute privilege to listen to this EP and I will be watching this duo with interest. What are you waiting for?! Get out there and listen to this. Now!