As REEKING AURA prepares to release their atmospheric second LP, On The Promise Of The Moon, through Profound Lore Records in April, today the captivating title track has been exposed for public consumption.
Tracked by Keith Moore at OK Recording Studios in Kinderhook, New York, mixed and mastered by the legendary Dan Swanö (Bloodbath, Edge Of Sanity, Grey Skies Fallen), and completed with cover art by premier Moldova painter Ion Carchelan, On The Promise Of The Moon builds on the REEKING AURA sound with an ominous, melodic atmosphere that does not compromise their brutal, guttural New York death metal roots. The album also features contributions from guest vocalists Eston Browne (Vulnificus) and Jon Berg (The Path), as well as string arrangements by Ben Karas (Slaughtersun).
Vocalist Will Smith delves into the title track: “In keeping with the band’s ‘agricultural death metal’ theme, the lyrics evoke visions of harvesting shellfish and pruning trees mixed with effigies for the dead as told from the perspective of a doomed fisherman in a turbulent storm. Drummer Hudson Barth took the lead in composing this powerhouse, staying on brand with the album as a whole by balancing cryptic melody with busy, rhythmic brutality.”
Listen to REEKING AURA’s “On The Promise Of The Moon” on YouTube HERE and on Bandcamp and all other streaming platforms HERE.
If you missed it, catch the “What Only Worms Witness” visualizer HERE.
On The Promise Of The Moon will be released on LP, CD, and digital formats on April 17th via Profound Lore Records. Preorders, presaves, merch, and more can all be acquired HERE.
With more widespread tour plans coming together for later this year, REEKING AURA has several shows lined up for the coming months, including a marijuana/death metal all-day event dubbed Rage Of Metaljuana in Brooklyn on May 9th with Sathanas, Sickbay, vendors, food, and more.
REEKING AURA Live:
5/09/2026 Rage Of Metaljuana @ The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY w/ Sathanas, Sickbay
While its members are all longtime veterans of the New York City/New Jersey underground, REEKING AURA is far from a side project. This group’s encompassing sound is equal parts captivatingly immersive and utterly devastating, infusing technicality with infectious melodies and curious tones into their thundering foundation of East Coast brutal death metal. The band began in 2019 and promptly recorded their debut EP, Beneath The Canopy Of Compost, and debut album, Blood And Bonemeal, both with Colin Marston in Queens, NYC, followed by the succinctly savage Fires In Deep Frost EP in February of 2025. In addition to playing gigs around the greater New York City/North New Jersey area supporting Malevolent Creation, Horrendous, Crypt Sermon, and Mortician, they have toured the Northeast and Southeast US with Replicant, Atoll, Pyrexia, Hath, Animals Killing People, False Gods, and Carrion Vael.
With their formidable presence now well-known far beyond their hometown region, REEKING AURA now arrives with their monstrous second album On The Promise Of The Moon. Returning from the first album are guitarists Terrell Grannum (Thaetas), and Rick Habeeb (Grey Skies Fallen, Buckshot Facelift) as well as vocalist William Smith (Afterbirth, Buckshot Facelift, ex-Artificial Brain). Drummer Hudson Barth (Trog) and bassist TJ Coon (Trog, Sentient Horror) round-out the lineup, and bring fresh blood to the band, with all members having contributed to the writing process of the new record.
“Brutality isn’t everything. Yes, even when it comes to death metal. Listen, we all love an album written to peel the scalp off your skull, but if that’s all a band’s offering nowadays, they’re probably gonna fall short. REEKING AURA get it, and On The Promise Of The Moon is the proof… And that is consistent throughout the album, with the band turning what could have been rote sections into hooks, layering melodies and adding clean passages that aren’t just volume breaks, but have their own dynamics and emotional builds.” – Decibel Magazine
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