It is difficult to ignore the high standard of metal releases emanating from Australia these days, and self-titled debut EP from Morana’s Curse looks set to maintain this trend. Hailing from Brisbane, Queensland, the four-piece outfit deliver a 7-track production which already demonstrates a level of confidence and maturity that belies their youthful tenure. They do not shy away from the concept of experimentation either, nor the melding of various styles and influences, in an effort to forge original-sounding compositions.
The opening number, “Shadow Road“, starts to lead us down this path less travelled. With only the drummer disrupting the eerie tension initially, we eventually hear the following spoken lines from vocalist Skyah Lunar: “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow“. At which juncture, the band fires up and Lunar’s nonchalant clean vocals can be heard drifting almost delicately over the throb of heavy distortion; her vocal style infused with interesting tonal inflections and changes in pitch, like a falling leaf riding the unpredictable currents of an Autumn wind. But underestimate Lunar at your own peril, for she hides this far more potent and intense persona that soon reveals itself with her harsh vocals – and will have you urgently looking for an exorcist.
The journey continues with the proggier (but no less aggressive) “Maslenitsa“, featuring only Lunar’s menacing vocals this time, along with plenty of offbeats and sonic dissonance thanks to the additional guitar parts, to further confront the listener and create a general sense of unease. This is followed by “Solstice“, which signals a departure again from the tracks preceding it, with the band switching to a more gothic/doom metal posture, and notably showcasing high-pitched angelic singing, verging on the operatic, during the key verse of the song:
Now’s the time of snow and ice
Morana’s Curse – Solstice
Long twilight and dark night
We’ve reached the still point of the sun
Yet look to future that’s to come
The listener is then introduced to next track “Fire“, with some gentle piano notes deceptively lulling you into a false sense of comfort during the intro, before the band erupts again like an awakened volcano, as if spitting out from the very depths of hell itself. Lunar, in particular, sounding like a demonic beast capable of spewing balls of flame in your direction. The clean vocals do make a return for the chorus, however, with the band submitting a defiant message in the lyrics: “We will not approach the pyre // We won’t let them set the world on fire“. Then we have the fifth track, and the band’s first ever single, “Infinite“, no doubt chosen not only for its immediacy, but also for the fact that it is the most concise representation of all the band’s core elements so far, making it the ideal introduction for new listeners.
Next up is “Blood Moon“, which succeeds in getting the adrenaline pumping with its heavy pounding of the drum skins and brutal guitar tone early on, before unexpectedly relinquishing to a softer, and more acoustic passage highlighting Lunar’s best, and most natural, clean vocals on the whole album. Whether rightfully or wrongfully, I can hear some shades of Spiritbox and Vintersea here. And with a deep hellish chuckle, we are greeted with the final track “As Above So Below“, and this too has some beautiful patches interspersed among the heaviness. The song as a whole feels a little more free-form and loosely structured, and ends rather abruptly leaving you wanting more, which all said and done is probably not a bad way to finish.
Verdict: Surprisingly, this release is more of a blessing than a curse. Though, make no mistake, there is certainly a persistent horror vibe throughout the brief runtime, and most of that credit goes to vocalist Skyah Lunar with her creepy possessed vocals. Overall, a strong first outing for this new band, and I look forward to following them closely to see how they evolve in the future.
