13th Moon Offer Up More Poison, Gimmicks
3th Moon Offer Up More Poison, Gimmicks” width=”324″ height=”497″ />
Overall, and with a few exceptions here and there, gimmicks bum me out. If you’re going to put loads of effort into writing, playing recording, mixing, mastering, and ultimately releasing an album, why wrap it up in a bunch of nonsense to distract the listener from what they’re actually hearing? That was precisely why I initially avoided listening to 13th Moon. So much was being made of the “special edition” of their upcoming demo (a demo! Not even a proper album, a demo) that I wrote them off entirely. I can get down with some occult mumbo-jumbo, but, like, really?
“20 of these relics are Special Editions intended for necromantic ritual including a unique piece of human bone with graven soil and ritual incense as outlined in Liber Falxifer (N.A-A.218, Ixaxaar, 2008/2010). This includes: Wormwood, Patchouli, Myrrh, Jasmine and Yew Bark which may be burned upon a charcoal block.”
Furthermore…
“We are well aware that such an unique edition exerts itself as a novelty for many, however, we reserve the right to reject Special Edition orders from those who abuse the beauty of the items included here. This is NOT for eBay or ‘kult’ collectors, but serious followers of the Left Hand Path. Those of you who have successfully placed an order for the Special Edition will have your details and email checked for reliability before the item is sent. No time-wasters.”
‘Kay. No kulting allowed!
Some people are very into this sort of thing; I can respect it, but I’m definitely not one of them. I’m just offering a bit of gentle teasing. In an age when interest in physical media has dwindled so significantly, it’s commendable to see a band attempt to provide a bit more value and incentive for someone to actually purchase their art instead of just snagging it off Mediafire. I’m glad that I finally gave the band itself a shot, too, ‘cause their muffled, savage take on bestial black/death metal is undeniably promising. Fellow Spaniards Teitanblood, Proclamation, and Morbid Yell have left their mark on 13th Moon’s sound, but there’s a good deal of (early) VON, Demoncy, and even some recent Revenge in there too. The standard version of ‘The Pale Spectre Over the Moon’ (which comes packaged in a bloodred satin pouch, and is limited to 100 copies) is now available from Exitium Productions.
What’s the best band gimmick you’ve ever come across (besides Ghost)? The worst? Am I just being grumpy? Do you really want bits of human bone lying around for your girlfriend to step on in the middle of the night?
