Darkmoon Warrior - Official Website


Graveyard Planet

Germany Country of Origin: Germany

1. Thy Satanarchists
2. Age Of Decomposition
3. Burn Down All
4. SM 70
5. Omega Legion
6. By The Sound Of Hell
7. Magna Matris Mortem
8. I Call Death
9. Sadomajestic Hatefukk


Review by Dominik on January 23, 2025.

Much like a forest troll stirring only under a blood-red moon, Darkmoon Warrior has crawled back into the spotlight with Graveyard Planet, their fifth full-length album in nearly 30 years of existence. Five years since their last sonic belch, the lazy bunch of misanthropes reminds us they still exist, which is no small feat considering their staggering release pace of one album every half-decade.

That said, there's something admirable about their consistency. Not in productivity, mind you, but from their inception, the band has adhered strictly to their trademark sound—a middle finger raised to the world in the form of black metal, spiced occasionally with black thrash elements. To no one's surprise, Graveyard Planet sticks to the Darkmoon Warrior formula like duct tape on a leaking bucket, while offering a few welcome improvements over its predecessor, which was, frankly, more rumble than roar. In fact, this album feels like a return to the sharper, more focused chaos of Nuke 'Em All, which is cause for optimism. This trajectory almost gives one hope for the next album—if we live to see it in 2029.

Lyrical "grace" (or lack thereof): Darkmoon Warrior's lyrics take an interesting turn here. While the themes remain dark and confrontational, the satanic overtures are spiked with sarcastic, social critical "considerations". Tracks like "SM 70" (a directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine) reckon with the brutal fortifications of the German-German border during the Cold War, while "Age Of Decomposition" casts the planet as a self-dug graveyard, spiraling into inevitable decay, humanity´s DIY apocalypse. It is often less about Satan and accomplices, but rather a reflection of the bands attitude towards the world. This nihilistic perspective ("we don't give a fuck" in bold, capital letters) pervades the entire record, most explicitly on tracks like "Burn Down All".

While this scathing attitude is admittedly fitting for a genre like black metal, a touch of restraint might have added more weight to their message. But then again, Darkmoon Warrior isn't here to write sociopolitical essays or win over the unconverted.

The music: a two-pronged attack. For those who like some structure to their sonic assaults, Graveyard Planet can be roughly divided into two halves. The first leans more into black thrash influences, while the second delivers a more straightforward black metal barrage.

"Thy Satarnachists" opens the album with a compelling blend of black and thrash with just enough melody to lull you into a false sense of security, setting the tone for the first half of the record. "SM 70", positioned at the thrashier end of the spectrum, sounds like an angrier version of early Sodom (if that is even possible) or the German wrecking crew Panzer Squad with its fiery riffing and venomous delivery. On the other end lies "By The Sound Of Hell", a pure black metal assault that lives up to its name and stands as the album's strongest track.

The track "Magna Matris Mortem" confuses with Latin titles but delivers blistering, German-lyric-driven black metal brutality. As always, subtlety and empathy are nowhere to be found in this aural battlefield, a fact hammered home by the closing track "Sadomajestic Hatefukk"—a two-minute tirade that is as elegant as its title suggests and as subtle as a bunch of renegade soldiers dancing on the graves of some ISIS extremists.

The performances on Graveyard Planet are solid across the board, with each member delivering exactly what is expected: raw, unrelenting ferocity with no room for surprises or unnecessary embellishments. The band's message remains clear: they don't care about anyone or anything. And why should they? If everyone just looks out for themselves, then surely all will be well… right? Everyone is being taken care of.

What is my final take? Graveyard Planet is a solid return for Darkmoon Warrior. The album isn't here to reinvent the wheel. It's here to douse it in kerosene, set it ablaze, and roll it through your backyard. It doesn't reinvent their sound, nor does it try to. But in sticking to their formula without polishing its edges, the band delivers an album that is aggressive, unapologetic, and at times even thought-provoking (at least if you're into kitchen philosophy).

Rating: 7.9 out of 10 - because anything higher might imply the band actually cares about accolades, and we can't have that, can we?

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