Upon Stone have released their debut album Dead Mother Moon, on Century Media Records. Produced and mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit (Twitching Tongues, Nails), Dead Mother Moon is a nine-song blast of viciously delivered Melodic Death Metal. The themes of the album deal with isolation, loss, the search for meaning, and a return to strength, notated by emotions and ideas explored through a lens of mysticism and the occult. From the title track opener to the vicious “Onyx Through the Heart” to the growling melodies of “Dusk Sang Fairest,” it’s an album that not only revisits the sound of the early 90’s Scandinavian underground but also reinvigorates it. Today, the band shares a video for “Dusk Sang Fairest,” foregrounded by clouded imagery that ties into the enigmatic feel of the track. 

Dead Mother Moon is available now through Century Media Records. Upon Stone has announced a free record release show on February 9th in Los Angeles at Knucklehead with support from Skinfather, Section H8, Darkness Everywhere, and Greenwitch.

The roots of Upon Stone twist back to its members' teenage years when vocalist and bassist Xavier Wahlberg, drummer Wyatt Bentley and guitarist Ronny Marks began playing together in various Valley bedroom-bred outfits. Joined by guitarist Gage Goss, the band came tor full fruition in 2021 with the EP, Where Wild Sorrows Grow, released on Creator Destructor. From there, Upon Stone began gigging relentlessly, finding their audience between Los Angeles’ hardcore and metal sects, sharing the stage with acts such as Bewitcher, Creeping Death, and Vomit Forth. During this time the band began writing what would become Dead Mother Moon.

Throughout the eight original songs (and one Misfits cover), Upon Stone’s love for early Melodic Death Metal is unmistakable. Down to the album cover artwork by renowned German artist Andreas Marschall (Dimmu Borgir, In Flames), Dead Mother Moon revels in the sound that would go on to inspire metal scenes worldwide while making it sound immediate and vital.

“Without sounding arrogant, it feels like a rebirth of a sound that changed how we all looked at music,” says Bentley. “We hope that it’s a gateway for people to go back and discover albums like The Jester Race and Storm of the Light’s Bane. I want it to matter to a new generation in the same way those records did for us.”