Lunar Ascendence EP EPK

You lie dying in a pine scented forest, the trees dark all around. As you take your last breaths, you consider the beauty you’re about to leave behind. Moments ago, while hiking, a dark, eight-foot tall figure, emerged from the trees, sprinting towards you with a body like a man, but with long dark claws, and a wolfs head. The terrifying beast caught you as you tried to flee, mauling you to within inches of death, long claws cutting through your skin, lungs, severing your intestines.

As the beast runs off, you feel your body begin to fade, but suddenly as a cloud shifts your are hit by rays of moonlight. Something strange happens, you feel a surge of power, a strength you’ve never felt before, an energy you didn’t know you could possess. As this euphoric bliss encompasses you, you notice a creeping lust snaking behind your ears and up your skull, an anger a hatred, stronger than you’ve ever felt begins to overcome you. You want to kill, to tear, to destroy……

Moonskin is Northern Dark Melodic Metal from Canada.


Taking inspiration from the dark eeriness of the forest at night, the music is a combination of symphonic and melodic death metal sound, with groove and black metal influences, culminating in a rhythmic and intellectually focused sonic landscape.

The music and lyrics delve into a wide range of emotion and explore fantastical concepts of the supernatural, lycanthropy, high fantasy, and horror; touching on exploration, loss, healing, ascension, power, life and death. With musical influences like In Flames, Children of Bodom, Meshuggah, Lamb of God and Six Feet Under, for fans of the melodic metal genre Moonskin is certain to please.

Moonskin began in 2009 as an idea of being a place for exploration of musical concepts that were outside the scope of Northwind (Kris North’s former band). Kris, Moonskin’s founder, had written nearly an albums worth of material that was yet unused and thus the album concept for Lycanthropy was born. Over nearly a decade of work at a leisurely pace the first (fun) track was released in 2017. ” Blakkr Jarn Burdr Daggr” or atramentous observance of diurnal course, or black metal happy birthday is a happy birthday song done as a tribute to black metal.

Subsequent single releases followed. “Melody for the Grey” (2019), is a melodic and melancholy look at loss, grief, healing, and holding ones head high and rising to life's challenge. Lycanthropy (2020), is a Meshuggah like grinding, energetic, track about Lycanthropy and the bloody, grisly, horror of a Lycanthrope enslaved by the moon’s insatiable bloodlust, rampaging through the darkened woods on a moonlit night causing death and destruction to all he encounters.

Moonskin’s first full length EP release, “Lunar Ascendence” (2022) is a dark look at subjugation, oppression, war, lycanthropy, duality: logic and instinct, the conscious and unconscious mind, temptation and restraint, reinvention, rebuilding and revenge.

Canada's Northern Dark Melodic Metal Moonskin, to release first EP titled "Lunar Ascendence" a dark melodic metal look at concepts of: subjugation, oppression, war, lycanthropy, duality: logic and instinct, the conscious and unconscious mind, temptation and restraint, reinvention, rebuilding and revenge. Fans of in flames and chilren of bodom are sure to enjoy this EP.

Kelowna, BC, Canada, Aug 15th, 2022 - LUNAR ASCENDENCE EP to be released August 19th 2022

Moonskin’s first EP “Lunar Ascendence” will be released on August 19th 2022 on all platforms.

The EP includes four tracks: Subjugation and Oppression, Lunar Ascendence, Altering the Entity, and a cover of Paranoid.

“Subjugation and Oppression”, a darker track inspired by (Rammstein, Lamb Of God, and Souljourn) deals with concepts of subjugation, oppression, war and the distasteful human practise of a more powerful entity imposing its will on a weaker one. Inspired by global empire building and radicalized extreme left and right wing ideologies attempting to impose their will.

“Lunar Ascendence”, the EP’s title track (heavily inspired by In Flames and a tribute to their sound), is about the experience of a protagonist who grievously injured, lays dying and near death is hit by moonlight, and begins a lycanthropic transformation. The song describes the tantalizing, intoxicating power of transforming to a werewolf, while fighting to retain one’s humanity. This is a metaphor for finding strength when you are broken down to your lowest point, and about the battle between the human and the animal, between logic and instinct, between the conscious and unconscious mind, between temptation and restraint.

”Altering The Entity” is a Gothenburg Sound style track with elements of In Flames and Dark Tranquility, and is about rebuilding one’s self stronger and more powerfully after hitting rock bottom, about building a stronger more powerful entity, and revenge. The song is an exploration into melodic metal by Myr with Lyrics by Moonskin.

”Paranoid” is a Black Sabbath cover and Megadeth inspired version of the original song. The cover is a downtuned, melodic version, which came about while noodling about and exploring different variations of rhythms and melodic passages for fun.