Fantasy and metal have long had a symbiotic relationship. Few genres maintain such a natural tendency towards epic storytelling, as well as a fanbase patient and inquisitive enough to hear those stories play out. With its layered songwriting and dramatic segues, Maiden Voyage, the debut EP from Atlanta duo Moon Destroys, swims in those deep and heady waters. Or better put, it soars through the cosmos like a Viking rocketship headed into battle.
Written in just 36 hours, the EP is the culmination of a long journey for former Torche guitarist Juan Montoya and ex-Royal Thunder drummer Evan Diprima. The duo first joined forces as instrumental powerhouse Stallone in 2009, eventually evolving into a quartet with C.J. Ridings on bass and Thomas Gonzalez on second guitar. Although the group would fizzle out after a few short years, the desire between Montoya and Diprima to continue collaborating remained strong. In June of 2018, the pair reunited to write new music and quickly settled on the new moniker Moon Destroys.
Recorded with producer and engineer Joey Jones, Maiden Voyage could easily be described as a pair of singles bookended by an intro, an interlude, and an outro. But that would be limiting. Despite their brevity, each of these segues is highly orchestrated, creating an immersive atmosphere that pulls the listener into the heart of the record. And while Montoya and Diprima have mostly turned out blistering, high-intensity instrumentals, here they partner with vocalists Troy Sanders of Mastodon and Cynic’s Paul Masvidal to bring further depth and nuance to their music.
It’s been some time since we first presented INPUT/OUTPUT, but we thought Moon Destroys presented a unique opportunity to reintroduce the feature. Below, Diprima and Montoya, along with producer Jones, break down the process of writing and recording Maiden Voyage, offering commentary and insight into each of the EP’s five tracks. For Immersive’s part, we provide our own analysis, leaving the reader with a mix of both Q+A and record review. Enjoy!
01. “At the End of Time”
Juan: With this one, I remember I wanted a record intro reminiscent of classic Metallica albums, etc. Maybe an acoustic intro or something like that. Once we got in session, however, it turned into this Dick Dale-esque riff blasting right out of the gate, like a wild horse.
Joey: To me, it’s like you kicked the hornets’ nest and stirred up a frenzy that leads you right into the other songs.
Evan: It’s that classic thrash intro that we all loved growing up. We actually overdubbed the second guitar track with my hand playing the rhythm and Juan’s hand playing the frets. [It’s] a little secret that is one of my fondest memories of any recording session.
Immersive: Intros are meant to usher listeners into a record and set the tone for what’s to come. So what do we have here? Plenty of white knuckle tension, for starters. An angry thrash buzz that continues to build in force and intensity. It’s the sort of frenetic lead-in you expect to send you hurtling straight into the heart of some massive riff. But instead, the track just keeps accelerating until it slams into a wall and the guitars fade into a low din. At just 1:23, everything happens quickly but it’s more than enough time to set up the EP’s balance between the chaotic and the cosmic.
02. “Blue Giant” [feat. Troy Sanders]
Juan: This is a riff I came up with jamming with a friend in Atlanta. I remember videotaping it at the time because I was loving the sound. I held onto it for a while and showed it to Evan when we got together again. It feels like crazy space funk with a jagged syncopated rhythm.
Evan: I wanted to go old school on this one, taking influence from the era when swing drummers were starting to play heavy rock towards the end of the ’60s and through the ’70s. The riff was so out there it forced me to think outside of the box, one of the many reasons Juan and I have always had such insane chemistry writing together: we push each other.
Joey: The rhythm makes me think of the Rocky movies, picturing him running with an unstoppable force up the stairs during that infamous scene. Troy’s vocal contribution was also amazing; his lyrics describing a whale pod traveling out of the oceans up into the galaxies with his cries towards the outro of the song mimicking the pod as they ascend into space. He sent us a clean vocal track for this as well as psyched-out versions with heavy, ethereal delays. This was inspiring to me because I was able to take the clean vocal take and run it through my own effects while keeping his original psyched-out tracks to blend the two together creating a really wide and deep cosmic sound.
Immersive: Heavy and propulsive with sludge metal overtones, “Blue Giant” is the probably the most accessible track on Maiden Voyage. That’s not to say it’s redundant or predictable, but the song’s hefty grooves mixed with Sanders’ gritty howl place it in territory that is well trod and familiar (well, as familiar as any song about giant whales swimming through the galaxy can be, I guess). The extended jam that occupies much of the track’s latter half, however, shows off the duo’s expansive palette, thrusting the listener upwards into a sweeping, celestial climax.
Evan Diprima (L) and Juan Montoya (R) trapped in isolation | Credit: Paul Leroy
03. “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean”
Juan: For this one we wanted a segue that would float from one song to another. It started out as a single riff that we had maybe jammed one time but evolved into much more on the spot once we started rolling tape. This one is emotional and from the heart; Evan and I really pushed each other on this song.
Joey: I remember this one being very inspiring to me. I loved this track as a segue because it had a really cool uplifting mood resulting from how powerful the riff is. Taking inspiration from the title, I was able to take pre-recorded wave drum sounds that Evan had recorded in the past during a Royal Thunder session and put a “bit crusher” on them resulting in the sound of waves breaking on the shoreline as heard in the beginning of the song. I was really trying to set the stage to catapult the riff when it kicks in.
Evan: We had a mutual friend of ours named Brandon Fordham come in to do the background vocals you hear. The idea was to follow Juan’s guitar melody and he absolutely ripped it; [we] couldn’t have been happier. I’m really looking forward to playing this one live, it has the energy and vibe from our usual material but it’s such an evolution in melody for us. It gives me the feeling of leaving the darkness behind to venture into a brighter day.
Immersive: If I have any problem with Maiden Voyage, it’s that it’s over too damn quickly. This is especially true of “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean,” which delivers such an anthemic, pulse-pounding surge. It’s not the easiest task to make such a short instrumental (the track clocks in at a mere 1:15) feel so consequential, but part of what makes Moon Destroys so exciting is the way they match their brawn with textures and layers that add greater nuance to their songwriting. The sound here is warm and aqueous, but it still carries the driving punch you want to hear from the duo. Montoya’s guitars offer that scaling, post-rock atmosphere that makes everything sound huge and majestic.
04. “Stormbringer” [feat. Paul Masvidal]
Juan: This one starts out with a heavy drum groove, then the guitar noise starts to kick in almost like when someone steps on a distortion pedal right before tearing into the riff. The bridge section makes me think of a sonic rainstorm opening up right before it consumes everything. We came up with the song and completed it before the vocals were added. Troy had already completed “Blue Giant,” inspiring us to add a vocalist into this one as well. I’ve known Paul for a long time as we both came up in the Miami heavy music scene and I immediately thought of him. He was excited after hearing the song and delivered the vocal tracks to us swiftly within two weeks; his ethereal, dreamlike melodies blew us all away. It’s like the sweetness over the sour.
Joey: The first guitar you hear come in is actually the drums coming through the pickups in Juan’s live guitar track; you can hear it knocking around the feedback in unison with the rhythm if you listen closely. This really sets the stage for the build up, letting you know some craziness is about to happen. I remember hearing Paul’s vocals for the first time and it made me think of almost a Ridley Scott, Blade Runner type vibe especially with the film having constant rain throughout its entirety. I feel the song brings an almost overstimulated, otherworldly vibe. The tension built at the end of the bridge with the tempo gradually increasing into the outro riff could have only been captured with the raw, live recording process we used. [I’m] very proud of that. It made overdubs a little harder having no click, but in return made that last riff hit insanely hard.
Evan: I believe this is the first song Juan and I finished up during the writing sessions. Recording this one live in the room together was crucial as there are multiple dynamic and tempo changes. A good friend of ours — Bryan Richie (The Sword) — laid down some insane, nightmarish synths to set the mood on this; it’s like a subconscious tone throughout the song warping your brain. I’m very proud of everyone’s performance; I feel we built the tension and released it exactly how we should have almost like when you hear an overpassing jet break the sound barrier. It was definitely one of the tougher tunes to track. We paid very close attention to detail in tones and getting the feel right. This one is raw and honest to the utmost degree.
Immersive: This is probably my favorite track on the record. Diprima’s drumming is the obvious catalyst here; it’s such a strong balance between power and pace. “Controlled chaos” is such a music writer cliche, but you really do get the sense of a band latching onto some thunderous grooves and bending them to their will. Paul Masvidal’s vocals are instrumental to the way the track functions; the way they glide beneath the surface adds an extra layer of ominous tension that feeds into the song’s lunging dynamics. One of the duo’s stated goals for the EP was to achieve the “natural push and pull” of classic albums, and here they ably toe the line between calm restraint and cathartic metal frenzy.
05. “The Edge of Forever”
Juan: This one is actually a continuation of “The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean.” A reprise, as they say. We made sure this second half featured different elements and layers that the first half didn’t contain. It starts out with the drums this time and features some additional guitar leads from Joey. What I think is cool about this song is how it outros with a lone bass guitar driving the riff. Since the EP is so layered and orchestrated, it ends the whole thing back to the basics, creating the image of when the riff was first created.
Joey: This one is definitely more intense than its first half. This ending is perfect to me because it leaves the listener wanting more and it concludes everything with a “to be continued” innuendo of sorts. It’s like being at a show at the end of the band’s set and you have the one member still on stage playing things out, driving it home. Like a Cliff Burton type moment when he’d be playing a part alone while the other guys are like, “We’ll be back in a bit.”
Evan: To me this is the conclusion of the listener’s maiden voyage into the world of Moon Destroys, giving them time to rest up and get ready to embark on the next voyage when the time comes.
Immersive: “The Edge of Forever” closes the EP on a triumphant note. While Maiden Voyage starts in a ball of frenetic tension, this is more like a release valve, an invitation to let go of that pressure and let it scatter across the cosmos. You can hear a squall of noise and guitar leads bursting in the background, but Montoya’s spiraling riff is the glue that holds everything together. When it finally dissolves into that chugging bass, there is a feeling of almost tranquil resolution. Again, I wish it lasted longer, but it’s still a satisfying way to end the record.
More Info
Web: moondestroys.com
Bandcamp: moondestroys.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @moondestroys
Instagram: @moondestroys
Twitter: @moondestroys