There are times in life where you encounter something that you immediately know is special – that was my experience the first time I listened to Cemetery Moon. Based out of Connecticut and beginning as a one-man black metal project, they released their debut self-titled album in 2023 and are returning on October 24th to haunt our ears with their second full-length, Dominion of Ashes. Compared to their debut, the new record feels less raw and more polished and intense, with a distinctive sound that stands tall amongst its peers. I had the pleasure of conversing with Apparition, the founder and vocalist of Cemetery Moon, who was gracious enough to answer some questions about this fantastic new record.
From the first track, “The Wretched City”, this record will sink its teeth into your neck and not let go until it’s done, leaving you wanting more. The dual guitars make their first appearance here, and their harmonies are mesmerizing as they assault you from seemingly every direction. Apparition reveals that this track “is influenced by portions of Dante’s Inferno” and was spawned from a jam session, whereas most of the other songs on the album were conceived differently. Apparition elaborates further: “For me personally, a song always begins with a guitar riff and then spirals out from there. I’ll usually make three or four riffs or parts that go well together and create the wireframe of the song. Then I’ll show it to another member of the band to build it out some more. After that, I’ll start rehearsing it with the full band, write some lyrics, and then we’ve got a new song. This was definitely the case for songs on Dominion of Ashes where I was the primary composer. And you could say the same for the other members when they were the primary composers.”
Keeping the momentum going, the previously released track “Boundless Heresy” follows as an energetic black metal track that further shows off the skill of these musicians and their ability to create great melodies. There’s a part right after the middle that is too good for words – you’ll know it when you hear it. The third track, “House of Usher” (inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story – Apparition confirms) takes a darker and more sinister turn. I picture an unwanted guest running through the corridors of a dark and sinister house, and being consumed by the evil that lives within as the track reaches its vicious conclusion.
“Temporal Bloodletting” slows down the pace and introduces elements of doom metal to the album while maintaining the melodicism of Cemetery Moon’s unique style of black metal. This track is oozing with slow and chuggy riffs that speed up to a blistering intensity that is impossible not to bang your head to. After this we get an instrumental track that serves as a perfect palate cleanser between the two halves of the record. “The Sorting of Souls” has a foreboding yet beautiful acoustic guitar accompanied by the blowing of wind in the background, transporting and delivering the listener to the sixth track, “Cultus Mortem.” This song ups the brutality with strong death metal leanings and low growls mixed with Apparition’s black metal screams.
As the band has evolved over the years, so has the process of writing and recording music, explains Apparition: “The previous album was mostly written by me at different stages of the project’s progression, with Astoroth and Langeloth contributing their own parts as needed for the recording. Additionally, the first album was done almost completely by ourselves aside from the mastering. For this album, the entire band was fully engaged in the writing and recording process. The only notable exception would be “House of Usher,” which dates back to my early demo days. But even in that case, the other members of the band added some nuances to the song.” The result of this collaboration is a black metal opus that is simply unforgettable. When asked about how things have changed for the band as it has grown from a one-man project to a full band, Apparition reflects that a lot has changed: “For myself, I definitely feel way more motivated to create and play music. I realize black metal is often considered the realm of misanthropic loners. And while this disposition makes for a great artistic muse, it’s lousy for someone who thrives more on collaboration and getting energy from other musicians.” Hopefully Apparition, Astoroth, Langeloth, and Usurper continue making music together for many years to come and continue to give us incredible albums like the two they have gifted us so far.
The seventh track, “Lunar Grave,” sounds like it came straight from the 90’s, embodying the spirit of the 2nd wave of black metal that assaults with its frigid fierceness. Next up comes my favorite track of the entire album, “Triumphant Spirit.” As the name suggests, the dual guitars here sound magnificent in combination with the intense vocals, thunderous drumming, and resonant bass, bringing forth an atmosphere that is heroic and full of glory, defiant in the face of death. With “Smoke Trails at Vespers,” the ferocious brutality returns, this time with guitarist Langeloth on vocals. Apparition shares that this “is one of Langeloth’s songs” and “was inspired by Umberto Eco’s classic The Name of the Rose” (a book that I have yet to read and need to bump up by TBR). Vicious and relentless, the album’s penultimate track is pummeling yet fun and sounds like it would be a blast live. Speaking of playing songs live, I asked Apparition what songs are the band’s favorite to perform: “‘The Black Keep’ really is the song that sticks out for all of us. But beside that one, I think we tend to get most excited for the songs we had the biggest hand in writing. So for our drummer, Usurper, that’s ‘Boundless Heresy.’ For Langeloth, it would be ‘Smoke Trails at Vespers’. For Astoroth, our bassist, it would have to be ‘Cultus Mortem.’ As for me, I feel a special affinity for ‘Lunar Grave’ because it’s such a pure and energizing black metal song. But I also love playing ‘Triumphant Spirit’ because of the multitude of guitar parts. But to be sure, we stand firmly behind every song on this album (and the first one).”
Just like it started, Dominion of Ashes ends with a banger. “The Black Keep” is the perfect culmination to this black metal masterpiece of an album, replete with addicting melodies and raw harsh vocals. As for what influenced the writing of this song, Apparition explains that it “takes some ideas from the premise of The Decameron” to a degree. This track solidly establishes Cemetery Moon as purveyors of the finest modern USBM, as the grand finale to an album where every track teems with energy and fierceness, achieving the perfect balance of brutality and melody. There is a lot of variety throughout the record and not a second is wasted; the oscillation between fast and slow tempos, and darkness and triumph, makes it feel like this album is over in an instant and as soon as it is over it is time to listen to it again. Every single song is memorable and the more I listen to the record the more I love it.
With Dominion of Ashes, Cemetery Moon have achieved the perfect balance between aggression and melodicism through their unique blend of black metal with elements of death and doom metal, and maybe even a touch of punk. The masterful use of dual guitars is reminiscent of Dödsrit, especially on “Triumphant Spirit,” with soaring melodies and riffs that complement each other beautifully. This record has easily become a strong contender for my end of year list, and I strongly recommend it to all black metal fans. These guys are truly talented.
Apparition informs me that Cemetery Moon’s next show will be on January 3rd, 2026, at The Cellar on Treadwell in Hamden, CT, playing with Infernal Occult and Necralant, and they are hoping to “play many more shows next year to promote the album” – I am definitely planning on being at one of these shows. I also asked Apparition if the band have any ideas for the next album yet: “With Dominion of Ashes, we really wanted to create a straightforward, no-nonsense black metal album. On the next record, we’re thinking to get a little more ambitious in terms of song structures and influences. We definitely want to bring synths back in,” so there’s a ton to look forward to and I’m excitedly awaiting their next move. He also assured me that there is vinyl on the way, and Dominion of Ashes will be available for physical purchase online as well as at shows.
You can order the new record as a digital download on Bandcamp at https://cemeterymoon.bandcamp.com/album/dominion-of-ashes
Follow Cemetery Moon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cemeterymoon_official/
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