It was going to be a quick in/out. Germany’s best kept secret, black metalers Secrets of the Moon, would open the night at my local dive metal bar Thee Parkside. I planned to swoop in with my warm up Halloween costume, and duck out before Divine Heresy and Moonspell.
At our precise 9pm arrival time, a line around the building indicated that doors were not yet open. It wasn’t too long of a wait though before we made it inside the cozy, dirty confines of the venue. However, shortly after we realized that the band setting up on stage was not the long haired Germans…..
Divine Heresy are not my thing. I would venture to say that they are not good. However, their effect on the crowd was ridiculous. There were guys just totally losing their minds. The rickety barrier barely held them back; they still managed to do what was the equivalent of humping the lead singer’s leg.
This was Secrets of the Moon’s first US tour. The riff raff cleared the room and the tone changed completely. The foursome, including a female bassist, faced the back of the stage as they began. Then they turned around, flipped their hair, and delivered four songs of pure dark intensity.
It may have only been four songs, but it was enough to show me that this band has something special. The vocalist is trancelike and graceful; from the way he kneels to tinker with his pedals to how he gazes upward and signs the cross with his hand. The guitarist plays with his hair over his face, barely peering out at the crowd in a haunting way.
Their dark and melancholy tone had me enraptured. It was the perfect way to ring in Halloween. These guys (and girl) have it- I’m sure they’ll be back next year on a much bigger tour.
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