Lunar Tombfields are a black metal band from France and this is their second album.
Following hot on the heels of last year’s The Eternal Harvest, Lunar Tombfields have now returned with 46 minutes of new material. Despite being so temporally close to its predecessor, An Arrow to the Sun has a different character to The Eternal Harvest.
An Arrow to the Sun has shorter songs, showcasing the band’s refined sense of songwriting and presence. With less time to play with, Lunar Tombfields concentrate on quality over quantity, using the songs’ durations to explore a wider canvas of feelings and emotions. The music is still dark and atmospheric, but now has more room to breathe. The album allows for a greater sense of light and hope into its makeup, and generally demonstrates a band comfortable in their sense of self, as well as in their ability to craft the sort of music congruent with their artistic vision.
The vocals are anguished and pained, while the melodies bite deeper and further. The music is underpinned by drumming that frequently offers textured percussion that elevates the overall song it graces. While this lays the foundation and allows for strong structural craftwork, the guitars build on this with undisguised relish. Resplendent with soaring melodies and emotive rhythms, this is music that combines forceful atmosphere and aggressive melancholy.
An Arrow to the Sun offers an absorbing journey into detailed soundscapes that are fiercely evocative.
Highly recommended for fans of black metal with personality and depth.
Wonderbox Metal 