MOON DESTROYS is a currently two member band consisting of guitarist/bassist Juan Montoya (ex-TORCHE) and drummer/bassist Evan Diprima (BROTHER HAWK). The two have worked together in the past and decided to take on a new project together. "Maiden Voyage" is their first EP, it's almost like a short story, clocking in at a short 12 minutes. Yet, they certainly know how to use a short span of time wisely. Together along with the vocal and lyrical talents of Troy Sanders (MASTODON) and Paul Masvidal (CYNIC), they created an awesome sludgy Stoner Metal oceanic journey.

"At the End of Time" is a quick intro track that brings us to a stormy oceanic scene. "Blue Giant" opens with the iconic vocals of Troy Sanders and the slow distorted riff style that's a given with Stoner Metal. The way the music is distorted is really interesting; it has this submerged in a vessel sound to it, as if you're underwater. You can visualize the blue whales breaching  and just doing their majestic thing as this groovy yet ethereal song goes along. (and I cannot help but to think of GOJIRA whenever I hear whale sounds in a Metal song so, that's doubly awesome) "The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean" is an interlude track with some quaint riff-age and drum-work.

This brings us into "Stormbringer". I am always thrilled to hear Paul Masvidal's unique spin on any music he's involved with and this song was certainly not an exception. The song starts out with some scene building; you can picture open water and a cloudy horizon... until the clouds take over and suddenly, the waves are crashing and some sort of oceanic god appears in bolts of lightning. The song builds in intensity, the tempo speeds up, the vocals get louder, and some awesome synths come in to bring the chaos of the Stormbringer to life. I really love how frantic the music becomes with pulsing drums and the haunting repetition of "Stormbringer" near the end, leaving a wreck of your ship behind. "The Edge of Forever" closes the album with some last sludgy bits from each instrument. The little melody within it brings you back to shore, albeit without your boat intact.

Overall, this is one awesome first taste of MOON DESTROYS. They had a cool theme of the ocean and created a 12 minute story about it. They managed to create some interesting soundscapes by playing with distortion, melodic pieces, some synthesizers and other bits of audio magic.  The guest vocalists were certainly a plus as well, their input really brought the band's concept to life. I think my only complaint about this EP is that it ended so soon; I cannot wait to hear more from this band!