A one-man entity hailing from the greater Los Angeles area, Cursed Moon is one of the most exciting newcomers the Hells Headbangers label has come across. Branding itself “deathwave,” Cursed Moon uniquely combines classic goth-rock from the eighties with early black metal sounds, weaving a witchy atmosphere whilst being grounded firmly in the grit of evil heavy metal. It’s a sound that’s immediately memorable and positively addicting – and not to mention one that will appeal to a wide variety of metalheads, punks, and other assorted freaks.

“Well, Cursed Moon started in 2015, when I began the writing process of it during late September,” explains mainman Sal “Hellraiser” Yanez. “I was pretty much just jamming on my guitar while I was listening to The Sisters of Mercy and I thought to myself, ‘This would actually be fun to play.’ So, just for fun, I wrote one song and I was really impressed on how it came out, so then I wrote second song and I also liked it. The style of music I was writing was different; it was something I haven’t heard of any band doing. It was some sort of post-punk with an evil twist to it. It had band influences like Fields of the Nephilim, The Sisters of Mercy, and Christian Death mixed with Bathory, Celtic Frost, Amebix, King Diamond, et cetera. After that moment, I then decided to make it into a real music project and pursue it. That’s when the name Cursed Moon was born along with the unique style of subgenre in what I call ‘deathwave.’ After I had enough songs written, I wanted to go to a legit studio and record them and do them right so I could put out an album. I wrote and recorded all the instruments myself, since this was just a one-man music project. Now, thanks to Hells Headbangers for signing and doing an official album release and for also believing in the Cursed Moon vision, I am currently putting together a live lineup for shows/tours that’s almost complete. That is just the beginning in what’s to come…”

Indeed, if new album Rite of Darkness is just a taste of what’s to come, the future is brightly black for Cursed Moon. Comprising ten tracks over fifty four minutes, Cursed Moon’s debut album is a non-stop collection of anthem after anthem, each one darker and more cobwebbed than the last, altogether making for one of the most unique sounds in today’s extreme music landscape. Never once lingering too long on one path, Rite of Darkness is total deathwave perfection, and even includes suitably deathwaved covers of Oz, The Sisters of Mercy, and Skinny Puppy. Behold the Cursed Moon, begin the Rite of Darkness, and witness the rise of deathwave!