THE HARVEST MOON – Decline to Disorder
- Posted on 09-08-2021
This one-man musical entity from Australia specializes in heartfelt and utterly passionate-sounding black metal with a prominent aura of longing, loss, and despair to it. In many ways, the term black metal should only be applied loosely to The Harvest Moon’s interesting take on the genre as mastermind Jamie Freeman is clearly influenced by different genres and styles of music judging by the content of this 18-minute blast of melancholy.
There is a sense of urgency and drive to these five compositions and the mournful melodies emphasize the morose vibe of these introspective pieces. The sound is rough around the edges but with more than sufficient clarity to it, so it definitely suits the bleak essence of the song material quite nicely. The vocals are also slightly different what one usually comes across in black metal and are more akin to painfully raw, shouted vocals that reek of desperation. Granted, that could be said for many other black metal outfits as well, but you will know what I mean once you head on over to Bandcamp and check the EP out after having read this poorly written review of mine. Some of the elements and ideas that occasionally sneak into the mix bring to mind neo-folk and folk rock while some of the arrangements made me think of quality pop music – and I do mean all of that as a compliment.
Although I did not find "Decline to Disorder" to be wildly captivating or bone-chillingly brilliant, I think it has a lot to offer and the tunes just seem so personal to Freeman that one can only admire the thoughts and feelings that have been channeled into both the atmospheric music and the well-written lyrics. A satisfying listen for sure.