Review: Lunar Amulet - Self-titled EP (2025)

Band: Lunar Amulet
Album: Lunar Amulet
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: United States of America
Label: Independent
Released: December 5, 2025

Introduction:

Lunar Amulet is a solo atmospheric black metal project from Portland, Maine. Helmed by Aaron Charles, known for his work with Falls of Rauros, Rhûn, Blood Chariot and his live stints with Panopticon.

Track Listing: 1. Invocation
2. Bones Beneath the Snow
3. Myth I
4. Yoke of Oblivion
5. Myth II
6. Lament for a Starving Moon
7. Coda

The Album:

The self-titled debut EP plays less like a conventional release and more like a single, continuous spell broken into movements. The opening track “Invocation” sets the tone immediately, easing the listener into a world of soft synth currents and restrained guitar melodies. The production is warm and organic, favoring atmosphere over sharp aggression, and giving the EP a dreamlike, slightly obscured quality. Nothing here feels rushed; every idea is given space to breathe, repeat, and slowly take root. “Bones Beneath the Snow” and “Yoke of Oblivion” showcase Lunar Amulet’s core strength: patient, melodic riffing that leans on repetition as a meditative tool rather than a blunt instrument. The latter stands out as a centerpiece: a rich weave of organic guitar work, subtle psychedelic shading, and a melodic impulse that perks ears without ever surrendering to catchy hooks. It’s thoughtful and deliberate. The drums, courtesy of session musician Orion III, are tastefully understated, serving the mood rather than driving it. While bass and synth layers subtly thicken the sound without overwhelming it. The vocals are distant and worn, emerging like echoes rather than declarations, reinforcing the EP’s sense of isolation. The pairing of “Myth I” and “Myth II” with the intro “Invocation” and outro “ Coda” function as a conceptual spine for the release, emphasizing cyclical structure and a hazy continuity. Ambient passages aren’t filler or transition pieces; they are essential to the EP’s identity, blurring the line between song and atmosphere. The EPs final non-ambient track, and my personal favorite, “Lament for a Starving Moon,” fades rather than resolves, leaving the listener suspended in a cold, unresolved stillness that lingers through “Coda”.

Conclusion:

Lunar Amulet doesn’t herald itself as a black metal milestone, nor does it need to. What it offers is a mood. Austere, reflective, and richly textured. In a landscape where so much extremity strives for shock value or hyper-polish, this EP chooses introspection and space. Here lies beauty in restraint: patient, somber, and evocative, like moonlight on freshly fallen snow.

BMZ Rating: 7 out of 10

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