NY/NJ death metal act Reeking Aura is back with their second album, On the Promise of the Moon. I really enjoyed their interesting, ambient, and brutal debut album Blood and Bonemeal, from 2022. I thought it was an improvement over their debut 2020 EP, Beneath the Canopy of Compost.
Guitarists Terrell Grannum, Rick Habeeb, and vocalist Will Smith, all welcome in new members, Hudson Barth on drums and TJ Coon on bass. Now, while I could make out some of the Monet inspired album art from the debut album, don’t even begin to ask me what on earth is happening on this album cover. At first I thought it was spilt milk. The album cover kinda goes along with the music. Regardless of the strange cover, we have nine songs in 32 minutes. The band writes short and concise death metal without wasting time.
“Concrete Basin Bath” start things in a monstrous fashion – right out of the starting gates a brutal fast moment with Will’s putrid vocals all over the place. This opening is quite powerful, and the slow down gets into that weird Reeking Aura element, which showcases how the band separates itself from the pact. This fast part has a huge Incantation vibe. The guitar harmonies and riffing are intricate and original. The stomp at the two minute part showcases the bass guitar sound and weird bending chords the band uses to bend our heads in two. This is one helluva way to open an album.
“A Forlorn and Frozen Vapor” is up next and no, no, no it’s not named after a fart I just ripped out. Double pounding speed, like the album opener, is fast, without getting into blast beat territory. The weird, ambient sounds, slows things down and I feel like I am floating in this weird mess of an album cover. Strange guitar riffs and the oft-kilter rhythm, during the mid-paced part, is extraordinary. The songs picks up the pace to an old school 90’s speed, great galloping moment. The time changes, during this song, are mind-bending and brutal.
“Gorged Beyond Grudges” has a hellaciously heavy opening sequence. The new drummer, is bombastic and the double bass is chest collapsing. The guitar melodies are excellent. Then the brutal tank-driven, mid-paced heaviness takes over. It is meant to crunch your bones into oblivion. Damn, this is heavy. Guitar solos whisping us away into the netherworld are in the distance. The song picks up the pace again, then back into the tank-driven groove. This moment will create pit havoc and busted faces. The bass guitar is ever present and adds a layer of complexity. The soft atmospheric moment erupts and I feel like I am in some smoke-laden jazz lounge. The metal gets back into business, then the faster moments erupt.
The band has some similarities to Will’s former band, Artificial Brain. After Will left that band, the band has had some difficulty recovering. Getting in a lot of new faces, but still no new album. Regardless, the similar moments are in the twisted, bending guitars, non-linear approach to death metal and incorporating atmosphere. Both bands are still different and also some of the best in all of death metal.
“What Worms Only Witness” has a creepy opening guitar riff. Sounds like it should be in a horror movie. The beat down riff, afterwards, will make you destroy your neighbors fence. A gallop engages the listener and the guitar riff is so original. The mid-section, with all the bellows and belches from Will, are just music to my ears, phenomenal. The lead guitar riff is enticing and catchy. The title track ends the album and is only 2.42 in length. It starts with a gallop, then gets into a polyrhythm beat down with some technical prowess. Intricate guitar riffing, then a nice sludgy isolated guitar riff, signifying the mid-paced beat down moment. Super heavy and wicked in its approach. The band fits a lot into such a short song.
On the Promise of the Moon benefits from a great production and strong musicianship. It is getting exceedingly tough to find good original death metal bands, yet, Reeking Aura is one of those bands. They continue to improve on each release and this album is fascinating in the song structures, brutality, harmonies and ambient atmosphere. There are numerous memorable elements to this album and suffice it to say, the death metal scene is put on notice. Reeking Aura is easily one of the best and most original death metal bands in the last five years. Crushing!!
