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Moon Reaper joins Morning Star Heresy for their 2026 single 'Dirge Of the Moons' | UK Metal
- MSH music group
- Apr 5
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 6
There is a specific, spine-chilling moment in any great cosmic horror film - the one where the protagonist finally looks into the abyss, and the abyss looks back. Bristol’s post-metal alchemists, Moon Reaper, have built their entire sonic identity around that exact second of terrifying awe. Today, they announce their return with a new single, “Dirge of the Moons,” and if the early details are anything to go by, we are not merely listeners; we are passengers on a one-way trip into an event horizon.
Recorded in 2024 at Sphinx Studios under the watchful ear of producer Wynter, “Dirge of the Moons” is being billed as more than a song. It is an odyssey. In an era where genre-blending has become a cliché, Moon Reaper actually means it. The quartet isn’t just dipping toes into different pools; they are drowning in a maelstrom of post-metal, doom, hardcore, black metal, industrial weight, and something they accurately describe as "ethereal cosmic soundscapes."
The band describes the track as following "a lost moon pulled across the empty vastness until it is finally consumed by a black hole."
This isn't a battle cry; it’s a lament.
We have all heard songs about black holes as metaphors for depression or loss. But Moon Reaper takes the perspective of the victim—the celestial body that has no choice but to drift. The "dirge" is the moon’s own funeral song. As the song progresses, you can imagine the tidal forces beginning to tear the moon apart. The "crushing riffs colliding with celestial ambience" are the audio representation of spaghettification—that final, stretched moment before the light goes out forever.
The band offers a stark, poetic summary: “This track is the sound of a dying star’s final breath. A lament carried across the cold, infinite dark.”
Drawing on influences such as Gojira, Meshuggah, Opeth, Spectral Wound, and Conjurer, “Dirge of the Moons” is an exploration of celestial ruin and cosmic inevitability. The song traces the tragic voyage of a moon cast adrift through the silent void - a slow descent into oblivion as it is ultimately devoured by a black hole. Moon Reaper channel this narrative through tectonic riffs, cavernous atmospheres, and otherworldly tension that swells until collapse.
The Early Years: False Dawns and a Debut Statement
Moon Reaper's inception was very much as a solo vision. Cradick, armed with a seven-string guitar and a head full of astrophysics and extreme metal, began crafting songs that would eventually form the backbone of the band's early work. The first tangible fruits of this labour arrived in 2019 with the standalone single "Torture Chamber," a raw, five-minute statement of intent that hinted at the blackened doom foundations upon which the band would build. It was followed in 2020 by "Spiralism," a second single that showed the first signs of stylistic evolution. Both were recorded with producer Kray Zellinger Mundy of Liquid State, a collaborator who would remain a constant presence through the band's formative years.
The path to a full debut was anything but smooth. The band, initially a quartet featuring Cradick alongside bassist Jennine Horwood, drummer Katherine McLaughlin, and later guitarist Noah Burns, struggled to maintain a stable lineup. The early incarnation of Moon Reaper was, by some accounts, destined to remain Cradick's solo project.
Nevertheless, the core material continued to develop, and in July 2021, Moon Reaper finally unveiled its debut EP, Descent. The five-track release was an immediate statement of ambition. It wove together elements of doom, post-metal, progressive, black, downtempo, deathcore, djent, death, and sludge metal into a seamless, darkly observant whole. Reviews praised its accomplished quality, noting that the band pushed the boundaries of progressive blackened doom metal to their absolute limits while taking daring risks with clean vocal passages. One reviewer aptly captured the EP's essence, describing it as "a monstrous reckoning with the abyss, stripped of the usual clichés, and ready to charge headlong into the void". Despite the lineup instability that had plagued its creation, Descent proved that Moon Reaper was a force to be reckoned with.
The Catalyst for a New Era in UK metal
By 2020, Moon Reaper was struggling to find its footing and was at risk of remaining Cradick's solo project. Everything changed when he met the Devon native, Şirin Ann Bozkurt years before, Morgan invited her to front the band and trained her vocal techniques during Covid. Her arrival acted as a catalyst, instantly adding a powerful dual-vocal dynamic and immense stage presence, and transforming the project into a formidable live act,
Şirin Ann Bozkurt is far more than just a second voice; she's a co-equal force who has fundamentally redefined Moon Reaper's identity.
While Morgan Cradick may be the band's founder, Şirin is its charismatic, devastating frontwoman, and her arrival in 2022 marked the true beginning of the band's ascent with the guitarist Jarrad onboarded the same year. Members Chris and Sam began as dep musicians covering for other members until present.
The Road to Bloodstock
The release of Descent marked a turning point, but the band's most significant transformation was yet to come. By 2022, Cradick and bassist Aidan Rutter who had joined in 2020 and remained a constant through the turbulence were the only original members left. It was then that Cradick met Devon native Şirin Ann Bozkurt and invited her to front the band. Her arrival proved catalytic. Bozkurt brought not only a ferocious, versatile vocal presence—capable of rasping roars, banshee wails, and delicate cleans, but also an undeniable stage charisma that would become a hallmark of Moon Reaper's live identity. The lineup was further solidified with the addition of drummer James McPhee in 2022 and lead guitarist Jarrad Fisher in 2023, completing the quintet that would propel the band into its next chapter.
With this renewed energy, Moon Reaper entered the Bristol Metal 2 the Masses competition—a proving ground for the UK's underground hopefuls. They stormed through the heats and walked away with the grand prize: a coveted slot on the New Blood stage at the 2023 Bloodstock Open Air festival. For a band that had endured so many false starts, the moment was monumental. Reflecting on the experience, Cradick would later call their Bloodstock debut "a truly monolithic event, of which so many people came to see us". It was, by his own admission, the best concert of the band's career to that point, an "incredible experience all round" that vindicated years of perseverance.
Black Sun Sorcery: A Sophomore Leap into the Void
Emboldened by their Bloodstock success, Moon Reaper returned to the studio with a clear vision. The result was Black Sun Sorcery, a four-track EP released on June 7th, 2024. Once again recorded with Kray Zellinger Mundy, this time at Orchard Studios, the EP was mixed and mastered by Wynter Prior of Sphynx Studios - a decision that cemented the band's commitment to sonic excellence. Thematically, Black Sun Sorcery delved deeper into the cosmic horror that had always been Moon Reaper's signature, drawing inspiration from the violence and malignancy of black holes, quasars, and the destructive forces of deep space.
The Live Front: Building a Reputation One Crushing Set at a Time
With a formidable new EP and a stable lineup, Moon Reaper set about conquering the live circuit. Their reputation as a devastating live act grew rapidly. The band's stage presence fronted by the charismatic Bozkurt and driven by McPhee's dynamic drumming became a talking point. One live review from a Crypta support slot in Bristol captured the emerging consensus: "Moon Reaper delivers their music with tremendous precision and has a natural stage presence, far beyond that of a local band with friends in the audience. They've already had some high profile support slots, but it won't be long until they're nationwide favourites".
That support slot was just one of many. In 2024, Moon Reaper returned to Bloodstock, this time upgraded from the New Blood stage to the Sophie Lancaster stage, after a last-minute phone call offered them the spot when another act dropped out. The band had promised themselves that their 2023 appearance would not be their career highlight, and they delivered on that promise with a setlist that spanned their entire catalogue, including the entirety of Black Sun Sorcery alongside choice cuts from Descent and hints of new material. Their live show, described by Bloodstock's own Simon Hall as "ABSOLUTE CRUSH!," had become an unmissable experience, combining "scathing dual vocal approach" with songs that "span the entire extreme metal spectrum"
The Present and Beyond
After a few lineup changes to current, the single 'Dirge of the Moons' will be the last track 'Aidan' will have bass duties. Chris Reynolds has taken the helm.
In September 2025, Moon Reaper announced their next chapter with the release of a new single, "Overlord." The track, produced once again by Wynter Prior, was described by the band as a fusion of "suffocating doom, blackened chaos, and hardcore aggression" with shifting tempos that lurch between slow, crushing sections and frantic blast beats. Lyrically, it continued their exploration of cosmic terror, this time under "the dominion of a void-born overlord". The single was accompanied by the announcement of "The Nightmare Eclipse Tour," a six-date UK run with 1986 that would see the band playing iconic venues including The Flapper in Birmingham and London's New Cross Inn.
Moon Reaper are set to make 2026 their busiest and most significant year yet, with a packed touring schedule that will see them dominate stages across the UK. They are joining forces with Nottingham death-thrash titans Kryptess for a seven-date UK tour. At the Bloodstock Winter Gathering 2026, taking over KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton on Saturday, December 5th, Moon Reaper will join a formidable bill across two stages. On the main stage, the night will be headlined by Greek black metal legends Rotting Christ with a special 35th-anniversary set, joined by Ukrainian blackened death metal powerhouse 1914, Leeds crossover thrash sensation Pest Control, vivacious slam extremists Party Cannon, neoclassical fantasy pirates Red Rum, classic doom purveyors Witchsorrow, and punk-infused prog openers Square Wild. On the second stage, Moon Reaper will appear as "epic metal storytellers," alongside UK thrash headliners Shrapnel, doom/death heavyweights The Crawling, and Staffordshire punk bruisers Head Dent.
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