Lunar Aurora - Of Stargates and Bloodstained Celestial Spheres

Band/artist - Lunar Aurora
Genre(s) - Black metal
Origin - Germany (Rosenheim, Bayern)
Album - Of Stargates and Bloodstained Celestial Spheres
Year of release - 1999

Though Andacht is of course their crowning work, when I decided to post some more material of my very favourite black metal band I wanted to bring a less well-known album to your collective attention. Of Stagates... is the third out of eight albums of Lunar Aurora, released in 1999, and it is clear that the band had not found their trademark sound just yet: it's not as immersive, haunting or intense as their later music would be and sounds comparatively "regular", but all the rudiments are already there. Together with its follow-up Ars Moriendi, I think this release is somewhat of a transitional phase in the bands career, moving away from the Emperor-emulating symphonic sound of their first albums, towards the more subtle, eerie atmospherics they are now known for. Comparing this to later work I may not have made it sound so attractive, but trust me, this is a mighty fine album.

1. Kampfork (Battle-orc)
   
2. Schwarzer Engel (Black angel)
   
3. Die quelle im Wald (The well in the forest)
   
4. Blutbaum (Blood tree)
   
5. Moorleiche (Bog body)
   
6. Drachenfeuer (Dragonfire)
   
7. Gebigsmystizismus (Mountainous mysticism)
   
8. Verwesung (Decay)
   
9. Weltengänger (Travellers of worlds)
   
10. Child of the apocalypse
    
11. Der leidensweg (The path of suffering)
    
12. Sternenblut (Starblood)
    
13. Something has died forever...
    

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