Luna Field

As far as musicianship is concerned, Luna Field are technically accomplished. Unfortunately, they lack the flair needed to set themselves apart from any description other than "decent.” Their case isn’t helped by laughable subject matter and song titles that include "Kill, Bastard, Kill.” Death meets black metal in a mix borrowing heavily from Morbid Angel and mid-career Behemoth. As the recipe calls for, there are serious amounts of tremolo, seemingly endless blast beats and plenty of demon howls to satisfy the undiscriminating ear, but the mediocrity with which the record proceeds is enough to leave a bland taste in the mouths of the critical. The sound quality is remarkably crisp and clean for an act of this type, each element clearly translated instead of the inaudible reverb mess that has defined the genre since the earliest tormented Norwegians made it their mandate to scare the general public. There is a pomposity present in their attempt to achieve a foreboding atmosphere, giving the music an intensity that is almost endearing. This being only their second disc, there’s still hope that Luna Field might be able to tear themselves from the influences that overshadow their individual performance.