Scorched Moon – Obsidia
Scorched Moon was initially formed in 2012 and was founded to be a creative outlet for a group of Progressive Metal-minded musicians. They’ve accomplished their goals using four different instruments and four different voices to create a variety of textures within the compositions. Obsidia is their debut album, taking over a decade to perfect. Before this, they’d played stages all over Georgia, sharing them with bands like Aether Realm, Wilderun, Paladin, and many others, honing their craft. Patience has paid off, as you will soon hear.
https://scorchedmoon.bandcamp.com/releases
Band Members:
- Trapper Lanthier – Guitars/Vocals/Harsh Vocals
- Matthew Boatwright – Keyboards/Vocals
- Michael Sanders – Bass/Vocals
- Jade Edge – Drums/Vocals
March 22,2023
Tracklist:
- Lost Adrift
- No Turning Back
- Light Of Day
- Violence
- Triumph And Tragedy
- K-186f
- Beyond The Singing Stars
- Silence Painted Crimson
The album opens with “Lost Adrift,” a song that begins with a slower intro, then launches into a massive rhythm, only to drop back into a low and slow tempo. The changes in phrasing show the Progressive Metal tendencies these guys hold near and dear to their hearts. The mixture of clean and harsh vocals shows their desire to push the boundaries and embrace some Death Metal influences. This track shows their ability to slow things down and speed them back up, ebbing and flowing as if they were “Lost Adrift” on the open sea.
“No Turning Back” starts with a funky, jazzy, upbeat tempo, settling into more of a rock vibe after the lead-in. There is a shift to more of an 80s Prog Rock tone after the first verse. The keyboard sounds are reminiscent of Jon Lord in the heyday of Deep Purple. The song has some elements that just feel like the 80s revisited, then it changes to modern rock, only to go back and forth again.
For something almost entirely different, “Light Of Day” edges closer to 80s Pop. I specify 80s Pop because it often had a faster, more upbeat tempo than some newer Pop music. Then, “Violence” turns heavy and much darker in tone. There is a heavier reliance on the harsh vocals for this one, painting a much more sinister picture in the mind. There are some lighter tones in the piano/keyboard realm, but the guitars stay dreary.
“Triumph And Tragedy” is a dichotomy. There are light and dark tones, heavy and light sounds, and faster and slower tempos, all meant to paint the picture of their respective ends of the spectrum. Upbeat is used to describe the triumph, and the heavier sections give voice to the tragedy, reinforcing the lyrical and musical composition. The funk returns to lead off “K186F.” That bass line is very nice, bringing the bottom end up front and putting it on display for all to hear.
Over the following three songs, you get a lot more of the same. Major Progressive Rock/Metal compositions, stellar instrumentation, excellent vocal work with clean and harsh leads interacting to give voice to different segments of the writing. Each instrument takes its turn to shine. The drums are often fast on the double bass, driving the songs through the heavier parts, sometimes dropping out entirely when the tone needs to slow down and let you catch your breath.
Scorched Moon is four individuals who work together well to create something that takes finesse, precision, and power in equal measures. The songs range from three to nine minutes, going through multiple stages throughout the record. They fuse Funk, Pop, Jazz, and various Metal styles to bring this Progressive Metal beast to life. There is a lot of technicality in songwriting and instrumentation. There is so much to unpack on this record.
You can listen through on a loop for an entire day and catch new things on each playthrough. This is the mark of really good Progressive Metal. There is just too much to notice on a single rotation, so you have to go back for more.
MZ Ratings:
- Musicianship
- Guitars – 9
- Rhythms – 9
- Vocals – 9
- Songwriting – 10
- Production – 9
- Overall – 9.20
