First thing I noticed on Darkanda was that the band has used the same artwork as At Vance's latest album and if I'm not mistaken one more underground act has done the same thing in the past. Come on! Luis Royo has lots of cool artwork! Lately I've been getting several releases from Greek acts moving in the fields of atmospheric Metal with both male / female vocals. All of them have something in common: they are pretty good!
Luna Obscura was formed in January 2000 by Aris Potonos and Dimitris Papachristos. Originally as a duo they started recruiting members until May 2004 when their first demo (Darkanda) was recorded. The demo was recorded with the use of a drum machine (now the band has a drummer called Giorgos Hatzopoulos). In their biography there's a mentioning of a live show, I hope that they will play more gigs soon.
Well, Luna Obscura may not claim daphne of originality but what they do, they do it well. Bringing in mind the mother of the genre (Theater Of Tragedy) they form three lengthy compositions with several swaps between brutal male and ethereal female vocal lines. The brutal vocals are simply OK but the female vocals are actually very good! As I've mentioned, the compositions are a bit lengthy but I can't say that I got bored or something while listening them. At times they get a bit modern (invest on this, guys) and I hope to see some electronic moments in the band's future.
As a package, the demo is well crafted since it comes with a printed sleeve that includes the lyrics. One can get this at the following address: Papachristou Dimitrios, Rethestou 50, T.K. 62 125, Serres, Greece for only 4 Euros plus post expenses. Fans of atmospheric Metal check them out.
E-Mail: Lunaobscura@mail.gr