Apparitions

I already said Blood might be one of the best BM releases of the year, but then I heard Apparitions.

Let me say that there are only 50 of each being pressed and you need to get one if you're reading this.

The Blood EP is very raw and the more experimental of the two, but I still loved it and felt the "true" Black Metal in it. Apparitions, on the other hand, is much more perfected, mastered better, more complex, and more stunning. All three parts sort of flow into each other - the reverb on the vocals is haunting, the guitar and drum machine are spot on. This release reminds me of Striborg's "Nefaria", except better. The guitar and drum machine sort of have the same feel and sound to them, but I think Moon has better vocals and they put a chorus/church organish sound in the mix too.

There is no doubt the guys from Moon put a lot of effort into this one, and it really paid off. I think I'm ready to call best BM release of 2008 early - unless they come out with something else by year's end!