siLLy puPPy Ukraine’s NOKTURNAL MORTEM is no stranger to controversy having been accused of advocating for the killing of Christians, burning of churches and neo-nazism in its pagan black metal music but despite all that the band learned quickly to distance itself from such controversy and focus more on its folk infused atmospheric black metal that has made them one of Ukraine’s top metal exports.

Well the band may have let go of its biting rhetoric but now in 2022, five years after the last release “Істина,” NOKTURNAL MORTEM returns with another controversial album, that being a modern recording of its classic 1996 demo “Lunar Poetry.” Like many metalheads i’m not fond of classic albums being re-recorded in general but once in a while there are some exceptions to the rule.

Meshuggah’s “None” comes to mind which clearly was a remarkable improvement over the original however most of the time the efforts come off as a desperate attempt to revive a stagnating career whether be in the world of metal with albums like Gorgoroth’s “Under The Sign Of Hell” or even prog with Camel’s re-recording of “The Snow Goose.” Most of the time it just seems utterly unnecessary.

True “Lunar Poetry” was only a demo but it has pretty much been re-released and presented as a bonafide early album for over two decades now with the CD release that emerged in 2002. A lot has changed in the 26 years since the demo haunted the 1990s including the lineup. Of the original lineup of Varggoth (guitars, vocals), Xaarquath (bass), Sataroth (keyboards), Munruthel (drums) and Wortherax (guitars), only Varggoth and Wortherax remain.

До лунарної поезії (To Lunar Poetry) features the new lineup of Varggoth (guitars, vocals), Wortherax (guitars), Karpath (bass), Surm (keyboards), Bairoth (drums) and although presented as a re-recording of the original classic demo, actually is a compilation of sort of most of the original “Lunar Poetry” along with the track “Return of the Vampire Lord” from the 1997 EP of the same name as well as another track “Акт віри (Ода інакомисленню) / Autodafe (Ode to Nonconformity)” which doesn’t seem to appear on any NM release.

This new updated version of “Lunar Poetry” is available as a nine track digital download and CD but also has been released as a collector’s edition limited to 333 copies and includes a 36-page booklet, T-shirt, flag and encased in a wickedly cool cardboard box with a magnet lock. The album has also found a vinyl LP release however only in Poland only.

Musically the tracks are presented faithfully in their original demo form with nothing compositionally speaking having been changed significantly. What’s new of course is the world of modern production value and an obvious larger budget to bring the original demo into the full spectrum digital age. As with all such re-recordings, this one misses that spontaneous lo-fi passion that made the original stand out so boldly and to be honest, the original “Lunar Poetry” featured a pretty good production for a black metal demo of its era. Since the lyrics are unintelligible it’s possible they have been changed to erase the band’s controversial content of the past which may be the intent of this release.

While everything on До лунарної поезії (To Lunar Poetry) is well played and decently recorded, personally i prefer the original since “Lunar Poetry” was one of the earliest albums that got me into the entire world of black metal. Aside from the obvious production upgrades, the musicians do not replicate the tracks exactly the same which is to be expected from a completely new cast of characters on board. Add to that Varggoth’s vocals sound more like Mirai Kawashima from Sigh than old NM. All in all a decent album but if you’re a huge fan of the original you will probably find that one more authentic.