Another hard hitting release from the prolific pagan Hrukjan. This time under the guise of Galdranaht, he brings us its debut offering When Full Moon Falls. This is a raw and punkish black metal release with infectious riffs, hard hitting drums, and pure nihilistic groove that truly gets the head nodding. There’s little added frills or some grandiose theme that ties all of these tracks together. On the contrary, this are simply pure raw black metal that holds no hands and takes no one prisoner.
This album flies on by, sporting 10 tracks but only being just a little over 13 and a half minutes, you’d be disappointed if you’re not paying attention to whats at hand here. Plenty of great riffs and moments are thrown through out this album, making sure use of the short track lengths, packing in as much of a punch with each track. Raw, gritty riffs and heavy handed drumming make for a truly great time here. This release really reminds me of the old school hardcore punk releases from New York back in the 90s. The raw punk attitude is there and of course combines perfectly with black metal as both of their simplistic nature truly shines through. But much like punk, sometimes the tracks do kind of blend together and create a droning miss-mash of sound that can get rather grating if you’re listening this from front to back. Thankfully though there’s enough diversity there to keep you entertained and hooked on every track.
There’s something about this release that just reaches out its bloody lupine claws and drags me down into what ever den that Hrukjan calls home, as it just screams authenticity. The titles for the tracks and the album cover is something you wouldn’t be surprised by if you’re familiar with Hrukjan’s previous works. Paganism, sacrifice, and the darker more mystical sides of nature are what’s presented to us, and I’m sure the lyrics follow a similar theme. Thing is, while I’d usually scoff when most others do this approach, as I find it over done in black metal. Pagan black metal bands in the woods are dime a dozen, but what we have here feels truly authentic. Not just using it as some sort of gimmick or image, but truly living the concept. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hrukjan is some sorta skinwalker, only makes sense at this point. Either way, I feel as though that’s why this release feels much more like a ‘blackened punk’ project than any other.
This is a must listen for any raw punks out there, and those who are die hard black metal warriors might find the imagery and furious blast beat approach could be something that one would appreciate. This is yet another favorite on my list of releases and something I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for if another release is in this project’s future.