Vollmondprozession – Lazarus

Written by on 11-05-2025 at 20:00.

Every once in a while I come across a record a little too late. I like writing my reviews before the release date. I manage this almost always but with this Lazarus, debut record of Swiss black metal band Vollmondprozession, I apparently wasn’t paying attention. It seemed like I was lost in a snowed-in landscape. This is at the very least quite a special collective. Assuming this Vollmondprozession is a collective of course, as I did not receive a line-up from label Ván records, the German cult label that has released a plethora of very high quality albums in the past.

Whether this also applies to this release is not entirely clear to me from the start. The music on this record is supposed to be a mixture of raw black metal with deep, lo-fi undertones. Moreover, this is the first album of the band so I do not have much to fall back on, the lack of line-up information making it particularly challenging to make apt references to other bands. Browsing the world wide web, this Swiss band seems quite strange to me and that, of course, makes me excited already.

From the very first notes the feeling emerges that Vollmondprozession is a pure band. A few nice beats by the drummer and then it’s pedal to the metal in a simple, monotonous, very soaking manner. Clean, choir-like vocals drip like fresh snowflakes between, over and throughout the crusty music. It immediately gives a special feeling making me understand at once why this band was signed by Ván records. A lot happens in this first song, and at the same time there does not. The music seems to stick to a limited number of riffs but it is how the whole thing is glued together. Those particularly innovative vocal parts are doing the trick here. Rarely have I heard a band that can bring their music so threateningly. This is strengthened by the production, capturing perfectly the cold, the chill, snow and ice. Allow me to suggest to give a listen to Sternenstandarte or Morgenstern Luzifer.

In the latter track the care and attention that was given to the whole album clearly shines. It seems as if every note was considered meticulously, every vocal interaction as well. This becomes even more pronounced in Sühnetod. Schwertleite, the last song on the album, once again grates the skin from your feet after hours of walking through in the snow. The track sounds wonderfully crusty, abrasive and particularly dirty.

Vollmondprozession is, in my opinion, a true discovery. With Lazarus, the band immediately enters the black metal scene packed in their snow boots and this to never leave. Impressively enchanting and haunting, I can tell you that. Strange collective that is eating from a richly filled table in the Swiss mountains, just look it up on the world wide web.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Van Records, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. Lazarus
  2. Sternenstandarte
  3. Morgenstern Luzifer
  4. Sühnetod
  5. Judasbaum
  6. Trag Die Siehe
  7. Kreuz Am Berg
  8. Schwertleite

Line-up:

  • Unknown

Links: