Review Summary: One-song symphonic funeral doom masterpiece
From Ukraine comes this beautiful one-man band called Luna. This is a bit of a stunner of a release. Here you have one song that lasts almost an hour. While it does raises eyebrows and suspicions upon its efficacy and purpose, I’m glad and somewhat relieved to add that the effect would’ve been lessened had it not been this way. Sure, it’s easy to skip to your favourite songs otherwise but there’s a certain purpose of one-song albums such as the groundbreaking ‘Crimson’ by Edge of Sanity. It’s not too easy where it comes to the CD or vinyl or tape, but in these times of the digital age, one can simply move the cursor halfway through the album. But perhaps the band doesn’t want it to be that way. There’s a certain beauty in experiencing the album the way it is meant to be experienced. From start to finish, where you give some of your time and attention to the music and the music rewards you many times over. This is that kind of an album. It starts in a certain way and ends in a fitting manner, while retaining that principal motif throughout the album. Ashes to ashes indeed.
The music is kind of symphonic funeral doom, not too dissimilar from the likes of Shape of Despair and other Finnish or Russian bands, but here the atmosphere doesn’t drown the music – it is fleshed out enough for the emotion to throb and the talent to shine. As mentioned, there’s a distinct recurring riff which is albeit presented with all different hues and tones, amplifying it, which makes the one-song concept so important. Around the 40-minute mark, it bends that theme almost, adding surreal beauty to the proceedings. It’s moments like these that make life worth living. And it is perhaps worth waiting so long, because you need to understand where it emanated from originally.
The album is almost devoid of vocals, which is refreshing because there are no hoarse monotonous growls dulling the proceedings. It’s just music, atmosphere if you will, and on a grandiose scale. The album couldn’t have been made by a man without ambition. And that’s what makes something great, something a notch above. You have to push the limits to be noticed, nowadays anyway, especially in this style of music. There are enough death metal influences akin to Necropoli, but saturated in enough doom and gloom to change its interpretation. The symphonic aspect only serves to intensify the shades of emotions on this album, which are almost all-revealing because there’s nothing obscured here – it’s all laid out for everyone to see, and absorb. If only one were to invest enough time and attention in this beauty.
While many bands have tried to make a one-song album, few have truly succeeded such as the aforementioned band, Edge of Sanity. The problem was that they couldn’t control the flow or make the music suspenseful enough – that’s exactly why a band like Luna wins. You know what to expect perhaps, but you’re not quite sure as to what to expect next. That’s what makes this album a winner, and compels you to undergo the experience over and over again.
