FULL MOON: Full Moon LP 1989 MINT CONDITION. Plus a 3 page hand written letter by the band and the record label. Epic Metal Rock masterpiece ULTRA RARE. Check audio. Rodney Matthews epic artwork

 59.88

The following rules are working:

In stock

Description

=====> This LP comes with a a 3 page hand written letter by the band and the record label.   <===========

=====> This LP comes with a a 3 page hand written letter by the band and the record label.   <===========

https://open.spotify.com/album/4GvfLI0Jm6APoxgs7gdDK6

British Epic Metal from London, England. From their self-titled full length. Voices Of Wonders. debut in MINT CONDITION.
Lyrical themes: Battles, Mythology, Past


A perfect union of space rock and NWOBHM – 92%
There are masterpieces, and then there are masterpieces. What I mean to say is, an album I might describe as a “masterpiece” usually tends to become so in my perception in one of two ways: the first is the type in which it’s immediately, or at least quickly, obvious that it’s a challenging, cerebral album, one that has the potential to be a “masterpiece” in some way, but which takes a lot of time to fully digest and understand. Albums I would put in this category include Fates Warning’s Awaken the Guardian, Psychotic Waltz’s A Social Grace, and Holocaust’s Covenant. The other kind, though, doesn’t necessarily immediately (or ever) strike me as overly cerebral or complex or challenging; it might not even seem especially interesting or ambitious upon the first few listens. This sort of masterpiece is more subtle in a way; its brilliance creeps up on you gradually, and at some point you suddenly realize everything works together perfectly, or the juxtaposition of melodies just strikes you in a way that you never noticed before. Albums I’d put in this category would include Screamer’s Target Earth, The Mist of Avalon’s Here and After, and, getting more to the point of the review, the self-titled debut from British post-NWOBHM act Full Moon.

What we’ve got on Full Moon is an interesting reconciliation of space/prog rock and heavy metal/NWOBHM. I use the word reconciliation because I feel the word ‘combination’ is too weak; it’s not as if you’ve got space rock songs and heavy metal songs, or even passages within songs that alternate between the two genres (for the most part). For at least 90% of the album, what you’ve got is simultaneously NWOBHM and space rock, and it blends together more seamlessly than I would have thought possible. The adventurous, galloping NWOBHM riffs combine with the laid-back, spacey feel somewhat akin to Hawkwind to create something significantly better than the sum of its parts. I don’t much like space rock, personally, and I’m quite picky about NWOBHM, but here the interweaving of the two elements is a match made in heaven. You take something like Ritual’s Widow, add some Hawkwind or perhaps a little Rush, and suddenly you have something that reaches the atmospheric highs and epic scope of Manilla Road. It’s really incredible to me.

Of course, great riffs and leads can only do so much without a quality vocalist to take the reins, and here the lead singer known only as “Mike” on the MA page for the album does a superb job. Unlike most NWOBHM vocalists, he doesn’t sound rough, unpolished, or unskilled, yet neither does he sound overly focused on technique. He takes an approach to the vocals that’s neither something you’d expect from prog/space rock or from heavy metal, exactly; sounding very little like Dave Brock of Hawkwind or Geddy Lee of Rush, instead presenting a confident, charming baritone that occasionally lets out a shriek or two but is nothing like the screechers expected of much heavy or power metal. Moreso, he gives off a combination of the understated, introspective style present in most American epic heavy metal (Longings Past, Eternal Champion, Avalon Steel) and the more playful, suggestive style of someone like Sean Harris of Diamond Head. The man just oozes and charm and masculine charisma whenever he opens his mouth, which definitely adds to the experience. It’s not really the type of vocalist I’d expect for a combination of space rock and metal, yet like just about everything on this album, it works perfectly. When needed, it pulls the attention away from the riffs, yet most of the time they’re so good that you’re struggling to pay as much attention as you can to both. The spacey style definitely requires the efforts of a talented vocalist, though, as in those moments where the riffs take a backseat and the focus is more on the overall atmosphere, the listening experience still needs to be enjoyable.

Only a few other heavy metal bands have attempted to add spacey elements to their music, with various results. Sacred Blade/Othyrworld is probably the only one I know of that blends the sound as well as Full Moon, although there the focus was more on pure heavy metal rather than the NWOBHM and more epic leanings found here. Late 80s Cloven Hoof also tried to do this, and were successful, though the spacey elements were less central. Certainly, though, Dominator and A Sultan’s Ransom are also largely carried by an excellent vocalist in Russ North. Manilla Road’s Invasion and Mark of the Beast also flirt with this sound, but here the metal elements are less central, creating something that’s rougher and less mature than Full Moon.

The only issue I see with the album is a couple of tracks that throw off the pacing; “Awakening” is a ballad that, while retaining some spacey elements, kind of takes away from that galloping, adventurous feel given by the metal riffs, and isn’t especially good in its own right anyway. This one probably could have been left out. The instrumental “Actius Selene,” on the other hand, is just short enough not to detract too much from the overall atmosphere, has stronger songwriting in general, and provides a good segue into “Euphoric Dance” which is much more psychedelic and strange than the more or less epic heavy metal anthems “Time Machine” and “Highlander.” “The Chequered Floor” also gets just a little bit slow and clunky at times, especially after “Euphoric Dance” and “Blur on the Horizon,” which are a bit lighter on the metal front, but ultimately doesn’t provide too much of a problem. “The Ninth Wave” gets things back on track nicely and the utterly monstrous and brilliant album opus and closer “Beltaine Fires” just destroys everything in its path, handing out mesmerizing riffs, mind-blowing solos, breathtaking vocals and unparalleled atmosphere like candy, never for one moment in its duration of over 8 minutes missing a beat or providing anything less than fantastic, switching from epic metal anthem to lush, spacey ballad and back again like it’s nothing. On top of all this, its switching moods ultimately build up feelings over the course of the song that eventually lead to the triumphantly galloping climax like a good epic ought to do. Really, there’s hardly anything to fault the album for except for the somewhat below par “Awakening”; otherwise it’s an utterly catchy, sword-wielding, mind-altering journey into the depths of space, through battles cosmic and barbaric, among psychedelic strangeness and ultimately back again, becoming the stronger for the experience. If you have any doubts as to my claims about this album, just listen to it, and find out for yourself what a beautiful experience this strange and wonderful masterpiece of an album is.


Spacey, psychedelic NWOBHM – 87%
There are many odd corners of metal that are largely unexplored by bands and fans alike. Full Moon inhabit one of these. Way too late for NWOBHM or space rock and totally wrong for power or thrash or death or doom popularity, Full Moon were more or less fucked from the beginning, especially considering the UK was hardly a hotbed of even the most orthodox traditional metal in the latter half of the 80s, stadium bands aside.

That said, they’re actually pretty good. They play a rather laid back style of rock/metal that takes large cues from progressive, psychedelic, and space rock as well as NWOBHM. At times I’m reminded of Hawkwind, at others Rush, still others, Budgie. The album cover actually gives you a pretty good idea of the sound, with majestic knights silhouetted against a red moon rising over ruins. It can be melancholic and wistful, delicate and contemplative, or angry and aggressive. This is all tied together by progressive and nonlinear but nonetheless quality songwriting, whether we’re talking the deliberate, heavy riffing of the opener “Time Machine” or the warm, solo-filled ballad “Awakening” that follows. “Highlander” brings us back to familiarly NWOBHM-ish territory with driving riffs, dual-leads, soaring vocals, and, uh, cowbell. Unfortunately I don’t think it paid for any gold-plated diapers. Singer John Killeen has a great voice with a warm tone, reminding me a bit of Kevin Nugent from Legend, or perhaps a more average NWOBHM singer with a good vocal coach. Andy Gregory on lead guitar does an excellent job and plays lengthy solos on most of the songs, at times giving me excellent Jerry Fogle flashbacks (near the end of “Highlander”), at others sounding way more spacey such as on the instrumental “Actious Selene”, where he plays a vast echoing solo over bass and sparse chords and wave-like sound effects. “Euphoric Dance” on the other hand showcases some of the most blatant effect pedal abuse I’ve heard in metal, which gives the whole song a great vibe, but it’s the epic vocals and solo saturation that cement it as one of my favorite tracks of the album.

“The Chequered Floor” goes in a bit of a different direction, being a plodding foot-stomper, probably the heaviest of the album, with distorted vocals further setting this song apart from the others. The quiet instrumental section builds tension while a gong sounds in the background (again bringing a Legend comparison), until finally we explode WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAA back into the heavy part and are again treated to a lengthy solo. This album has a hell of a lot of those. “Ninth Wave” has nothing to do with the Manilla Road track by the same name, but is rather a sprawling song that starts heavy and ends delicately.

It took me some years actually to warm up to Full Moon, mostly because I went in expecting something else, and shelved it because it wasn’t what I was looking for at the time. I remember complaining to a friend that it never really cashed in on the heaviness of that great opening riff; and honestly it rarely does (his complaint was that the album lacks a real climax, which is also true). Since then I’ve gained a much greater appreciation for rock and the softer sides of metal, and laid-back music in general for that matter. Full Moon is not an album for headbanging, it is an album for relaxing, and it is good at what it does. Perhaps paradoxically, the progressive songwriting and complex emotions and emotional shifts in evidence require a certain degree of intellectual engagement to “get”, so it probably wouldn’t be the sort of thing you’d want to smoke a joint to. Give Full Moon some time and effort, as I eventually did, and you will be rewarded, as I eventually was.


A1 Time Machine 6:16
A2 Awakening 4:37
A3 Highlander 5:55
A4 Actius Selene 2:51
A5 Euphoric Dance 5:13

B1 Blur on the Horizon 5:57
B2 The Chequered Floor 5:31
B3 Ninth Wave 6:02
B4 Beltain Fires 8:29

Formed 1985, London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Disbanded 1993
Members John Killeen (vocals), Andy Gregory (lead guitar), Gray Walker (rhythm guitar), Angie Walker (bass), Jay Nicholls (drums)

Rodney Matthews artwork

(the audio sound on this YouTube clip is not as good as the vinyl’s)


Top Epic Heavy Metal / Space Rock

There are masterpieces, and then there are masterpieces. What I mean to say is, an album I might describe as a “masterpiece” usually tends to become so in my perception in one of two ways: the first is the type in which it’s immediately obvious that it’s a challenging, cerebral album, one that has the potential to be a “masterpiece” in some way, but which takes a lot of time to fully digest and understand. Albums I would put in this first category include Fates Warning‘s Awaken the GuardianPsychotic Waltz‘s A Social Grace, and Holocaust‘s Covenant. The other kind, though, doesn’t necessarily immediately (or ever) strike me as overly cerebral or complex or challenging; it might not even seem especially interesting or ambitious upon the first few listens. This sort of masterpiece is more subtle in a way; its brilliance creeps up on you gradually, and at some point you suddenly realize everything works together perfectly, or the juxtaposition of melodies just strikes you in a way that you never noticed before. Albums I’d put in this category would include Screamer‘s Target EarthThe Mist of Avalon‘s Here and After, and, getting more to the point of the review, the self-titled debut from British post-NWOBHM act Full Moon.

What we’ve got on Full Moon is an interesting reconciliation of space/prog rock and heavy metal/NWOBHM. I use the word reconciliation because I feel the word ‘combination’ is too weak; it’s not as if you’ve got space rock songs and heavy metal songs, or even passages within songs that alternate between the two genres (for the most part). For at least 90% of the album, what you’ve got is simultaneously NWOBHM and space rock, and it blends together more seamlessly than I would have thought possible. The adventurous, galloping NWOBHM riffs combine with the laid-back, spacey feel somewhat akin to Hawkwind to create something significantly better than the sum of its parts. I don’t much like space rock, personally, and I’m quite picky about NWOBHM, but here the interweaving of the two elements is a match made in heaven. You take something like Ritual‘s Widow, add some Hawkwind or perhaps a little Rush, and suddenly you have something that reaches the atmospheric highs and epic scope of Manilla Road. It’s really incredible to me.

Of course, great riffs and leads can only do so much without a quality vocalist to take the reins, and here the lead singer known only as “Mike” on metal archives does a superb job. Unlike most NWOBHM vocalists, he doesn’t sound rough, unpolished, or unskilled, yet neither does he sound overly focused on technique. He takes an approach to the vocals that’s neither something you’d expect from prog/space rock or from heavy metal, exactly; sounding very little like Dave Brock of Hawkwind or Geddy Lee of Rush, instead presenting a confident, charming baritone that occasionally lets out a shriek or two but is nothing like the screechers expected of power metal. Moreso, he gives off a combination of the understated, introspective style present in most American epic heavy metal (Longings Past, Eternal Champion, Avalon Steel) and the more playful, suggestive style of someone like Sean Harris of Diamond Head. The man just oozes a charm and masculine charisma whenever he opens his mouth, which definitely adds to the experience. He’s not really the type of vocalist I’d expect for a combination of space rock and metal, yet like just about everything on this album, it works perfectly. When needed, it pulls the attention away from the riffs, yet most of the time they’re so good that you’re struggling to pay as much attention as you can to both. The spacey style definitely requires the efforts of a talented vocalist, though, as in those moments where the riffs take a backseat and the focus is more on the overall atmosphere, the listening experience still needs to be enjoyable.

Only a few other heavy metal bands have attempted to add spacey elements to their music, with various results. Sacred Blade/Othyrworld is probably the only one I know of that blends the sound as well as Full Moon, although there the focus was more on pure heavy metal rather than the NWOBHM and more epic leanings found here. Late 80s Cloven Hoof also tried to do this, and were successful, though the spacey elements were less central. Certainly, though, Dominator and A Sultan’s Ransomare also largely carried by an excellent vocalist in Russ North. Manilla Road’Invasion and Mark of the Beast also flirt with this sound, but here the metal elements are less central, creating something that’s rougher and less mature than Full Moon.

The only issue I see with the album is a couple of tracks that throw off the pacing; “Awakening” is a ballad that, while retaining some spacey elements, kind of takes away from that galloping, adventurous feel given by the metal riffs, and isn’t especially good in its own right anyway. This one probably could have been left out. The instrumental “Actius Selene”, on the other hand, is just short enough not to detract too much from the overall atmosphere, has stronger songwriting in general, and provides a good segue into “Euphoric Dance” which is much more psychedelic and strange than the more or less epic heavy metal anthems “Time Machine” and “Highlander.” “The Chequered Floor” also gets just a little bit slow and clunky at times, especially after “Euphoric Dance” and “Blur on the Horizon,” which are a bit lighter on the metal front, but ultimately doesn’t provide too much of a problem.

“The Ninth Wave” gets things back on track nicely and the utterly monstrous and brilliant album opus and closer “Beltaine Fires” just destroys everything in its path, handing out mesmerizing riffs, mind-blowing solos, breathtaking vocals and unparalleled atmosphere like candy. Never for one moment in its duration of over 8 minutes missing a beat or providing anything less than fantastic, switching from epic metal anthem to lush, spacey ballad and back again like it’s nothing. On top of all this, its switching moods ultimately build up feelings over the course of the song that eventually lead to the triumphantly galloping climax like a good epic ought to do. Really, there’s hardly anything to fault the album for except for the somewhat below par “Awakening”; otherwise, it’s an utterly catchy, sword-wielding, and mind-altering journey into the depths of space, through battles cosmic and barbaric, among psychedelic strangeness and ultimately back again, becoming the stronger for the experience. If you have any doubts as to my claims about this album, just listen to it, and find out for yourself what a beautiful experience this strange and wonderful masterpiece of an album is.

Favorite tracks: “Time Machine”, “Blur on the Horizon”, “Beltaine Fires”

Album Rating: 92%


For fans of:
Manilla Road United States Epic Heavy/Power Metal
Legend United States Epic Heavy Metal/Progressive Rock
Iron Maiden United Kingdom Heavy Metal, NWOBHM
Overlord SR United States Heavy/Power Metal
Cloven Hoof United Kingdom NWOBHM (early); Heavy/Power Metal (later)
Longings Past United States Epic Heavy Metal
Ritual United Kingdom NWOBHM
Cassle United States Heavy Metal/Progressive Rock
Chasar United Kingdom NWOBHM
Heavy Load Sweden Heavy/Power Metal
Thunder Rider Canada Epic Heavy Metal
Warlord United States Heavy/Power Metal

Additional information

Weight 0.25 kg

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “FULL MOON: Full Moon LP 1989 MINT CONDITION. Plus a 3 page hand written letter by the band and the record label. Epic Metal Rock masterpiece ULTRA RARE. Check audio. Rodney Matthews epic artwork”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *