Upon Stone are a melodic death metal band from the US and this is their debut album.
Upon Stone play melodic death metal in the classic Scandinavian style. The band list influences such as At the Gates, In Flames, and Dissection, so you should have a decent idea of where Dead Mother Moon is coming from. Across a lean 32 minutes Upon Stone demonstrate that they understand the style well.
Dead Mother Moon delivers exactly what you would want from the style. The songs are brief, energetic, and focused on hooks and memorability. They’re full of riffs and melodies that hit the spot, and the band’s songwriting showcases their skill with dynamics and structuring. The music is passionately delivered by people that clearly know and love what they’re doing, and Dead Mother Moon is an easy record to enjoy if you’re a fan of old-school melodeath.
This isn’t a purely old-school romp though, although it’s certainly the prime driving force behind the bulk of the music. There are a few things that differentiate Upon Stone from many other similar bands, and the first is that the material is played with a modern ferocity. In other words, there are more blast beats here than you might expect. On its own this would not elevate the material, but coupled with the band’s keen songwriting skills, it makes for an album that’s hard to dislike.
One of the other differentiating factors is the band’s non-90s influences, which also includes a hardcore and NWOAHM edge in places. As such, fans of bands like Unearth, Darkest Hour, and Shadows Fall should also like this, (although admittedly these bands took influence from the same time period and scene as Unto Stone ultimately are). The singer of the latter band guests on one song here too, and the final track is a Misfits cover, which should also point to some of the wider influences that are embedded in Dead Mother Moon‘s old-school melodic death metal framework. On the more death metal side I’m sure that if you’re into The Black Dahlia Murder you’ll find much to satisfy here as well.
Finally, I’ll note that the singer’s voice sounds like the perfect blend between the singers of At the Gates and Obituary, which is just wonderful.
Upon Stone wear their influences on their sleeves, but they use these influences well to craft engaging and infectious melodeath songs. Dead Mother Moon is a strong debut from an enjoyable band, and you should definitely check this out if you’re a fan of the style.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 