I guess, that only a few people know Lunar Aurora, so I think I should make a small introduction. Lunar Aurora are coming from Bavaria and they’re moving in the ambient paths of black metal music. In their 18-year career, they released some excellent black metal albums, like “Zyklus”, “Andacht” and many more epics. In 2008 they disbanded, so with “Hoagascht” we heave their comeback. A glorious comeback, if you ask me, because their ninth album is an amazing release, with so evident the dark cold atmosphere under the grimness of black metal and the superb ambient music.
Every album of Lunar Aurora is different from each other, so we have to see “Hoagascht” as a separate release. I must admit that I couldn’t find so majestic music, even in the Burzum albums and the new album managed to impress me very easily. Its lyrics are written completely in upper Bavarian dialect and “Hoagascht” is the word for “home” and “garden”, so someone can understand easy that the natural themes are clear. “Im Gartn” is the first track in this beautiful album and the listener can’t hear nothing more than excellent unworldly ambient music, morbid vocals and chaotic riffs. I think that the Burzum myth has already collapsed from the first “Hoagascht” song. Second song, is “Nachteule” and it’s my personal favorite of the new album. So depressive, so cold, so atmospheric. It’s a true diamond, if you count the poisonous vocals of Whyrd, the epic riff, the drone breakdown and the mourning background music.
The only negative think in “Hoagascht” is the sound’s bad quality. But I don’t care that much, because it’s an epic album. We’re talking about ambient black metal music, the beauty isn’t in the mastering, but in the heavily distorted guitars and ambient keyboards. It can’t bring you down when you’re listening “Sterna”, a perfect low tempo song with such a stunning guitar riff, or “Beagliachda”, an other trippy dark hymn. The next step in this amazing release is with “Håbergoaß “. Here, there are more pure black metal elements and that’s clear because of the guitar compositions and the drum programming which has an intense cymbal effect.
A second song that I loved in “Hoagascht” is “Wedaleichtn”. It starts with a very heavily distorted riff, combined with guitar melody, and gradually gets faster tempo. The binding of rough guitars and ambient music is something more than perfect here. A sudden break down of storm and alarm clock sounds is inserted, and then the raw riffs begin again. I guess that with this song, black metal music is transformed into a piece of art. Generally, the songs in this album have many tempo changes. In these particular music form is moving “Geisterwoid”, too. Starts like a drone song and then raises speed. Atmospheric music, grim vocals and smashing drumming couldn’t be missing from another impressive track, like “Geisterwoid”. This comeback album finishes with “Reng”. Once again Lunar Aurora present a wonderful thick atmospheric song, full of melodic tremolo pickings accompanied by dark ambient keyboards and sounds. The real shocking thing is in the middle of the song, in an other breakdown, when distorted melodies with rain sounds as background music, create a terrific result.
Lunar Aurora have done a great come back and they’re ready to release again dark epics. “Hoagascht” astonished me without any difficulty and I’m sure that many fans happened the same. The new album is morbid, intricate and chaotic, but still atmospheric with intelligent music compositions. The band may have changed their style, but “Hoagascht” keeps some typical Lunar Aurora sounds. It’s sure that it won’t fail the black metal fans and especially the ambient lovers.