The Moon Is a Dead World

The Moon Is a Dead World is the debut studio album by American hardcore punk band Gospel. It was released on May 10, 2005, by Level Plane Records. It was the band's only studio album during their initial existence.

The Moon Is a Dead World
Studio album by
Gospel
ReleasedMay 10, 2005
RecordedMarch 2005
StudioGod City Studio, Salem, Massachusetts
Genre
Length39:05
LabelLevel Plane (LP-83)
ProducerKurt Ballou
Gospel chronology
The Moon Is a Dead World
(2005)		 The Loser
(2022)

Upon its release, the album received positive reviews;[2][3][4][5] the album has since been seen as a defining release in the screamo genre.[6][7]

Recording and production

Gospel entered God City Studio with Kurt Ballou in early March 2005.[8] While Ballou already had a set up drum kit in the studio, Roseboom wanted to use his own, so time was spent adjusting his drumkit. The band enjoyed working with Kurt Ballou; despite the fact that Gospel's sound was a departure from his usual hardcore material and the fact the band had one week to record the album, Ballou adjusted well and did not pressure the band during the recording process. "He captured the essence of the music very well, in a short period of time, and made it as painless as possible", Johnathan Pastir recalled.[9][10][11]

As most of the songs were already completed by the time he joined the band, Johnathan Pastir only contributes to the songwriting on "A Golden Dawn".[11]

Composition

The Moon Is a Dead World has been classed as screamo,[12] post-hardcore, progressive rock, grindcore and hardcore punk. The band received comparisons to Genesis, King Crimson,[13] Hawkwind, Glassjaw and Sonic Youth.[14] Pitchfork described the album's riffs as "King Crimson via Converge".[15]

Album title

The album title was taken from a plaque describing the moon at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. "When reading the plaque describing the moon, the first sentence reads, “the moon is a dead world,” and we just kept it in mind.", Johnathan Pastir recalled. "We used it for the best reason possible: it sounds cool. In hindsight, I personally think it fits the atmosphere of the record really well." Adam Dooling supported this; "I like how at first glance it reads as a macabre statement, but under closer examination it’s nothing more than an objective assertion."[9]

Release and touring

The Moon Is a Dead World was released on May 10, 2005, by Level Plane Records on CD and vinyl. The first vinyl press was limited to 200 copies on red with white splatters.[16]

Touring

To support the record, Gospel toured throughout the East Coast of the US with Menuwar and Converge,[2][17] creating a buzz for the band within Level Plane and the music industry.[2][5] During the tour the band became a notorious live act, getting into fights and destroying instruments. An infamous event was at The Owl Music Parlour, where a fire broke out after a drunk fan threw a Christmas tree on a fire created by John Pastir after the show. Overall, the tour was a success for the band, however, they took the praise they were receiving with a grain of salt.[18]

2019 remaster

In October 2018, it was announced that The Moon Is a Dead World would be getting a reissue on double vinyl. It was remastered by Josh Bonati, and released through Repeater Records on January 11, 2019.[19][20]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[21]
Pitchfork7.8/10[15]

Upon its initial release, The Moon Is a Dead World received positive reviews from critics.

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Treble United States 10 Essential Screamo Albums[7] 2014 *

* denotes an unordered list

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adam Dooling, Sean Miller and Vincent Roseboom, except where noted

Side A
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Congratulations...You've Hit Bottom!" 3:41
2."Yr Electric Surge Is Sweet" 4:14
3."A Golden Dawn"Dooling, Miller, Roseboom, Johnathan Pastir9:04
Side B
No.TitleLength
4."Paper Tigon"3:23
5."And Redemption Fills the Emptiest of Hearts"2:45
6."Opium"3:56
7."What Means of Witchery"6:18
8."As Far as You Can Throw Me"5:40
Total length:39:05

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes and Bandcamp.[8]

References
  1. "Gospel". AllMusic. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  2. "UNDER THE VOLCANO FANZINE: STILL LIVING UNDER A PUNK ROCK: PUNK, HARDCORE AND MORE!". January 13, 2007. Archived from the original on 13 January 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  3. Punknews.org. "Gospel – The Moon Is A Dead World". punknews.org. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  4. "Gospel: The Moon Is a Dead World". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  5. "Level Plane Records". February 6, 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  6. Sacher, Andrew. "25 essential screamo albums from the '90s/'00s that still hold up today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  7. "10 Essential Screamo Albums". Treble. February 20, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  8. "the moon is a dead world, by Gospel". Gospel. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  9. "UNDER THE VOLCANO FANZINE: STILL LIVING UNDER A PUNK ROCK: PUNK, HARDCORE AND MORE!". 2007-01-13. Archived from the original on 13 January 2007. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  10. Friedrich, Michael (September 24, 2019). "Buried Behind All the Rubble". Medium. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  11. "The Conquest Came and the Noise Died Down: An Interview with Gospel". Hard Noise. September 19, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. Sacher, Andrew. "Gospel giving vinyl reissue to the classic 'The Moon Is A Dead World'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  13. Z, Zed (2005-02-12). "Gospel – The Moon is a Dead World | Review". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  14. "schwegweb.com". 2007-01-03. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  15. "Gospel: The Moon Is a Dead World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  16. . 2006-03-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20060327084939/http://www.level-plane.com/html/index.html. Archived from the original on 27 March 2006. Retrieved 2022-06-12. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. "GOSPEL". April 24, 2005. Archived from the original on 24 April 2005. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  18. "UNDER THE VOLCANO FANZINE: STILL LIVING UNDER A PUNK ROCK: PUNK, HARDCORE AND MORE!". 2007-01-13. Archived from the original on 13 January 2007. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  19. "Releases". Repeater Records. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  20. Sacher, Andrew. "Gospel giving vinyl reissue to the classic 'The Moon Is A Dead World'". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  21. Gospel The Moon Is a Dead World Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-06-12
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