After the two more experimental and progressive predecessors Sworn Enemy: Heaven and Dimorphic Cynosure, THIRDMOON throw off ballast, focus on their first-class features and sometimes even recall their debut album. This time clearly in the foreground: catchiness without being flat, groove without sounding superimposed and melodious without diluting the sound.
The compositions are tightened, get to the point quickly and still contain enough room for modern sprinkles, symphonic splashes of color and concise beat changes. Exciting songs with depth await us, Wolfgang Rothbauer and his troupe have been known for years for their fine sense of how to create great melodic arcs and shake one or the other catchy chorus out of their sleeves.
Correspondingly effective are the first riffs of Among The Demons, which inevitably captivate the neck muscles and the metal heart in need of harmony - that's the rhythm I'd like to jump to the moon and back again for joy. The musicians integrate discreet keyboard carpets in a wonderfully gentle way to make the sound more voluminous, but they don't overload the tune at all and shine with a first-class entrance.
In order not to go beyond the scope, I take a close look at the outstanding catchy tune Invisible, because this gem simply has everything for a band classic: a short, harmonic introduction that paves the way to furious grooves and a biting chorus, shimmering guitar leads and a harsh break unite to this melodic brilliant achievement.
Autumnal Moonlight, which is interspersed with lightning-fast blasts, leads us back to the roots not only through the naming, but also because of the atmospheric density and youthful carefreeness, which provided pleasant listening experiences on Grotesque Autumnal Weepings. The wonderful acoustic guitars add the sonic crown to the piece and delight us more often in the course of Terrarum Exuviae. The opulent, classical bombastic finale offers rich variety and breathtaking tension elements down to the last note.
Decline In Chaos approaches it a bit more modern and cold heaviness is more in the foreground, before Ghost Of Tears is a melancholic, partly solemn closing chapter and gets attached both heaviness and infinite lightness at the same time with flat keyboard sequences.
No matter whether THIRDMOON wallow in medium-fast pathos, indulge in ominously pregnant melodies or release acoustic delicacies - after long years of waiting, Terrarum Exuviae represents a brilliant, energetic and extraordinarily variable return. This work sounds like a thunderclap!!!