VNDER A CRVMBLING MOON is a mashup of Black Metal, Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, and Post Metal. They hail from the UK, and this is their second full-length album, which has five lengthy songs. "When the Nightmare Came" is the first. Smooth, clean guitars mark the opening sequence, which takes a lot of time to marinate. A few minutes it, harsh vocals break the silence, along with a low, heavy riff. Layers of crushing Doom are slowly added, and like spices to a recipe, it becomes robust and flavorful. By the time it ends, you feel completely grey and lifeless.

"The Watcher" begins with another punishing slab of slow, doomy metal, augmented with thick bass guitar notes and some backing leads. The sky that the band paints is endlessly grey for as far as the eye can see, and some of the riffs are bleak and desolate. The Black Metal tones come in after the half-way mark, with a faster pace and vocal screams. I love how the band blurs the lines between several styles of Metal. The gloomy sound returns at the end. "A Call from the Void" is another desolate affair and straddles the line between bouts of anger and spells of despair, and worthlessness. The heavier tones subside for an interlude of clean guitars and vocals, giving your aching head a few moments of rest, but of course, they return.

"Destruction" has a more even sound, but it is even with elements of death, your collapsing will, and disintegrating hope. You seem to wander endlessly, looking for something to dull your pain, but all that you find are more people like yourself out there. "Salvation" closes the album but consider that title loosely. There are elements of hope here, but they are quickly washed away with the blackness of filth. The clean passages towards the end give you some reprieve, and perhaps your soul will be saved in the end. Overall, this was an excellent album, that really has it all. They drive home feelings of despair, anger, and hopelessness, wrapped in a cloak of utter darkness. Do not go into the album lightly, because it will consume you.