Cult Metal Classics have pulled yet another one out of the hat unearthing yet another superb “lost” band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal days.
This time it’s Harvest Moon – who were from Wales and yet another band from the period who certainly had the talent though sadly not the breaks.
As usual with Cult Metal Classics it’s a limited run of just 500 copies – so get your skates on if you want a copy. It’s not only superb musically – the booklet has expansive notes of the band’s history going back to the mid-1970s when they were known as Stepping Stones.
The name change to Harvest Moon came around the turn of the 1980s and cut a self-financed EP. That went down so well Harvest Moon were invited to take part in a “Battle of the Bands” in Liverpool with such names as Gary Moore, Rick Wakeman, Graham Bonnet and Bruce Dickinson as judges.
As they say, Harvest Moon aced it and Charisma records came calling and an album appeared to be imminent – only for Charisma to go bust which signalled the beginning of the end.
So what about the music? It is first class indeed. Mixes in various styles with quite a mystical feel overall as is evidenced in the lyrics. Plenty of hard stuff going on though they bring in the atmospheric mystical, atmospherics which is helped by the keys and synths.
There’s also plenty of punchy, tasteful riffs going on, excellent muscular solos as things vary from the heavier side to what you might call heavy folk with some progressive tinges thrown in for good measure.
Lion and Snake starts it off in fine style with the punchy riff, swelling keys, and excellent guitar work. A proper rocker with that mystical folksy feel running through it. Have a listen:
https://youtu.be/uVyAEYX6K0k
Harvest Moon is another monster of a song – as indeed every one of the nine tracks on the CD are.
How the band wrote and performed such excellent songs incorporating the heavy stuff and the dreamy/atmospheric/lyrical/proggy stuff too and did not back then enjoy big success is a travesty.
It’s all so good and fresh sounding even now some forty years later. Top marks to Cult Metal Classics for continuing to dig out old NWOBHM-period bands like this.
Who knows – had Charisma not gone under and Harvest Moon’s intended album had seen a release things could have been so much different for the band.
If you’re able to – get a copy. As usual I got mine from Sonic Age Records. As I type this post on 15 January 2022 Sonic Age show availability. Here’s a link to their web site:
https://www.sonicagerecords.com/_shop
Don’t hang about though as it is a limited edition of just 500.