Guillermo CastroThe intersection of melodic metal, punk, and hardcore can be an epic and exhilarating place, and few local bands in recent memory have navigated that terrain as formidably as Moonshield do on their thrilling debut, The Warband. Conceived in 2016, the band gathers together a strong nucleus of Atlanta punk and emo veterans determined to finally unleash their inner headbanger. Of the group’s five members, only bassist Mike Michalski, who moonlights in the Star Wars-inspired death metal outfit Ecryptus, has much experience playing in an honest-to-god metal band, but you’d never know it judging from the thundering grooves and lightning riffs raining down from the band’s ten-song LP.
Named after a song from Swedish metal giants In Flames, Moonshield was created to scratch a lot of itches. Although there was a mutual desire among the members to move from their punk roots and pursue faster, heavier, and more extreme music, the group insists there were other, more critical, factors at play when forming the band. “The criteria most important to us wasn’t musical chops or a love for metal,” says guitarist Nathan Streeper, “but nerdiness and a willingness to have fun and lean into the non-metal [and] non-musical things we all love like history, comic books, and video games.”
Listening to The Warband, and sorting through its vast conceptual underpinnings, you can begin to unravel the so-called “geek” mindset that went into crafting the record. Set during the Dark Ages in what is now modern day England, the album is a historical fiction retelling of the Saxon warlord Hengist becoming the King of Kent. The lyrics borrow heavily from the lore of King Arthur, and there is all manner of magic and mayhem, wizards and war—all soundtracked by the band’s blistering assault. The album cover, drawn by Michalski and colored by Carsten Bradley, depict the various members of Hengist’s warband as chronicled throughout the record, while taking its aesthetic cues from a far more modern source. “The comics from the early ‘90s were an incredible influence on my early illustration style,” Michalski explains. “The cover started out as my sort of love letter to the epic X-Men covers by Jim Lee and all of the Image Comics team books that came out soon thereafter.”
Depending on the moment and the mood, the band’s music invokes anything from Iron Maiden’s fantasy epics, to At the Gates’ melodic blitzkrieg, to Propagandhi’s full-throttle prog-thrash. Although the pacing is unequivocally fast and furious—all breakneck speed and thick riffing—the group’s adept use of rhythm and tempo keeps the album from coming off as one massive surge after another. It also helps there is a narrative framework in place that works to set the listener within Moonshield’s grand vision, whether it’s the frenetic freedom of galloping across the plains (“North of the Wall”) or the seething rage of battle (“The Bezerker”).
But what really makes an impression (besides the band’s relentless intensity, that is) are the dual elements of Richard Philip’s cathartic hardcore-style vocals and the melodic interplay between guitarists Streeper and Steve Johnson. Combined they create a sort of pull-push effect where Philip’s aggressive singing drags you deep into the fray before Streeper and Johnson whisk you away on the wings of their soaring leads. “One thing that you may notice is that we gravitate towards the melodic and we like our guitar harmonies,” says Streeper. “That’s what separates a lot of the stuff we listen to from other bands. Epic and melodic. Informed by this we aren’t quite as grim dark as other metal bands.”
“[I’m] a very melodic and poppy guy—fuck that—but also I love figuring out how different things can work,” offers Johnson. “I don’t know how separate from the pack we are, I just know we have a lot of fun and are very much about incorporating every idea we can.”
According to Johnson, it’s this willingness to experiment and explore that drew him to Moonshield, and that make the group’s future prospects so exciting. While much of The Warband was written as a three-piece, before Michalski and Philip joined the band, the group’s current five-piece makeup has made their music more dynamic and intriguing, with no shortage of unique ideas to bring to life.
“We’re working on an EP based on the video game Destiny,” drummer Jeff Claxton reveals. “Destiny has always been a video game with awesome lore and disappointing storylines, so we saw it as a good opportunity to write our own story using this enticing world. I’m really stoked on what we have done so far, I honestly think we’re just getting better and better.”
Johnson can’t help but agree. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done, but I feel we’ve only become a better band since Richard and Mike came aboard, and I can’t wait to see what five cooks in the kitchen can do.”
Moonshield will perform on Wed., Aug. 8 at 529 alongside Dreadnought, Old Thrones, and Gnomonaut. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: moonshield.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @MoonshieldATL
Instagram: @moonshieldatl