The Shroud: A Dark Moon Night

After more than two years since the release of "Long Ago and Far Away," The Shroud has returned with their second full length album entitled "A Dark Moon Night." Prior to about two years ago, The Shroud has been plagued with many line-up changes, and "A Dark Moon Night" is their first release since stabilizing with their most recent line-up. As a result, "A Dark Moon Night" sounds more like The Shroud as they have performed live since shortly after ther release of "Long Ago and Far Away." Hailing from, of all places, Fresno, California, The Shroud has two other releases available: "Drowning Dreams," their first cassette EP from 1992, and "Long Ago and Far Away," their debut album, released in 1996. As for the new album, this is definately a step forward for the band, as "A Dark Moon Night" is superior to their earlier releases both artistically and technically. The overall sound is a bit more diverse and more stylized than before. The Shroud's continuing use of standard rock instruments and arrangements allow this to be a very accessable album that will make for pleaseant listening for that long car trip. I especially enjoyed the song "Roses," featuring a unique arrangement of harpsichord and military snare. "Prophecy," which has already been featured in several compilations (The Shroud is known for appearing on just about every gothic compilation that Cleopatra Records has ever put out-despite the fact the The Shroud is unsigned), is another highlight song, inspired by the film "The Prophecy." Overally, I would have to say that The Shroud did a pretty good job in staying with (and further defining) their own style; while their use of conventional arrangements could easily have made this a very boring album, "A Dark Moon Night" somehow manages to stay interesting throughout without sounding too much like their other releases. The album are also quite addicting. After only two or three listens, I found myself humming some of the songs constantly. That, I suppose, is a much better measurement for determining how much you like a CD than taking it apart.