MOSS UPON THE SKULL

Moss Upon the Skull biography
Moss Upon the Skull are a progressive death metal quartet from Brussels, Belgium, formed in 2010 by guitarist Tristan van Dorsselaer and drummer Jense Philips. Tristan invited Sacramental Awakened guitarist/vocalist Jef Van de Weghe into the group, with bassist Mathijs Provoost and vocalist Jo Willems completing the lineup by the end of the year. The band claim inspiration from Gorguts, Ved Buens Ende, Pestilence, Absu, StarGazer, Immolation and Morbid Angel, as well as 1970s progressive rock groups like Gentle Giant, Popol Vuh, Magma and Dün.

The band's 2014 debut was the two-track single Imperial Summoning, independently released digitally and on 7". 2016's similarly self-released The Scourge of Ages EP brought the group even more positive press, and was dedicated to van Dorsselaer, who passed away in late 2015. Their reputation caught the attention of I, Voidhanger Records, which released their first LP In Vengeful Reverence in 2018. Moss Upon the Skull described the album as "heavily influenced by esoteric, alchemical principles and alternative history, as put forward by luminaries like Michael Tsarion, Terrence McKenna, Aleister Crowley, or John Dee."

Comparable to old masters like Death, Cynic, Atheist and Sadist, the band also share similarities with Horrendous, Venenum, Execration and Virus.


- Gordy, January 2022