EPK – LUNAR – Tempora Mutantur (2025) (Saibot Reigns Records)
ft. members from Helion Prime, Beholder, Vis Mystica, Mokili Wa, Nordic Frost, Outloud, Double Vision
For fans of Opeth, Caligula’s Horse, Haken, Tool, Porcupine Tree, Ayreon
Band: Lunar
Album title: Tempora Mutantur
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Label: Saibot Reigns Records
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“It’s really well done technically by a band that clearly cares about their music and can play.” – Rock The Joint Mag (The Illusionist 2023)
“If I had one word to describe this album, it would be this one: whirlwind… “The Illusionist” is an album that is living. From its jazzy highs to its heavy metal lows, this album is constantly on its toes, never repeating itself and never, ever growing complacent. A wonderful whirlwind indeed. 9/10” – Ever Metal
“I feel like Lunar has captured the balance between accessibility and technicality very well. I hear many of the same elements in their sound that, when employed well, make bands like Dream Theater, King Crimson, Voïvod and even Sigh so engaging. I love when an album comes out of nowhere (for me, anyway) and makes this much of an impression.” – The Metal Crypt
“As I said at the start, when I heard this album I was immediately grabbed by it. The story works nicely, it is very character based and features plenty of emotions which as a listener I certainly could relate to. The music is terrific with all the players putting in excellent performances and the instrumentation used in a clever way to match all that is going on with the lead character. There are moments of heavy prog as well as metal, but melody runs through the heart of it. The fact that some of the people in the band have never met or even been in the same room together is remarkable as it sounds like everyone was on the same hymn sheet and it doesn’t sound pieced together. That is a great credit to the writing, arranging as well as all the musicians doing their parts to the benefit of the whole piece. An absolutely delightful as well as enjoyable album.” – CGCM Rock Radio
“The concept is that there are songs that are angry, songs that are confused, songs that are depressed, and everywhere in between. Styles on the album run the gambit from Progressive Metal with melodic vocals, to moments of Jazz, to cookie monster Thrash…. The musicianship is solid on all of the parts, with some excellent performances, notably vocalist Chandler Mogel… it does warrant checking out for Prog-Metal fans that like a mix of growler and melodic vocals.” – Metal Express Radio
“The Illusionist again is at the highest level of the progsphere, Bosson’s continuation of the Lunar name, honouring his co-founder and friend, through the medium of progressive metal, is an advantageous endeavour. 9/10” – Musipedia of Metal
“The disc is well produced and played very well, so anyone who wants to dive into tempo changes and virtuosity will find what they are looking for.” – Metal Shock
“It is a dynamic and inclusive variety of the form we get here, where gentle atmospheric laden sequences and vibrant, guitar driven passages with regular as well as a more alternative variety of progressive metal coexist quite nicely, with occasional flirts towards extreme metal as a part of the experience. The compositions are further fleshed out by the use of world music elements inside of a metal context, as a standalone feature, as elements of more dreamladen ambient tinged interludes as well as combined with passages with a bit more of a jazz orientation. The latter which is present also in a more standalone and elegant manner. Occasional use of orchestral textures is a part of the totality too, and the band aren’t afraid to hit a more energetic power metal run when needed either. The vocals are clean and melodic, with occasional use of growls but more for dramatic effect and less as a defining feature. A production to seek out, inclusive and dynamic progressive metal is a type of music you tend to enjoy.” – Progressor
“LUNAR present an impressive show with „The Illusionist“. In contrast to the album title, however, there are no illusions, but quite real musical art. Thereby LUNAR conjure all kinds of things out of the hat. Their magic consists of a collection of high-quality multi-faceted songs. Thereby they go mainly a hard way. But many fine passages, which are refined with classical instruments of all kinds, provide great experiences. Furthermore, exotic sounds additionally provide for an atmospherically deep and exciting work. Personally, I also noticed especially the excellent guitar work, which conjures up fantastic moments again and again. In its entirety, it is a work of art of all the musicians involved, who have created something magical here. I can’t see any weaknesses here.” – Metal-Heads.de
“This is a record that everyone must own. Every generation and every country should adore an album like this, as one like Theogony rarely makes itself known. If you like music and consider it art, this is a must.” – Prog-Sphere on “Theogony” #23 Best Albums of 2017
“The sophomore album from this Cali band is showing the band expanding their horizons in sound. The heavy parts are heavier, the lighter parts are even lighter and the proggier parts are even more insanely proggy *plus on the song, Surrender, there is a very cool nod to the final lasting riff in Opeth’s Deliverance to close out the track…don’t think I didn’t catch that!* With all of the guest appearances, fantastic production and just masterful songwriting, this is one of the strongest prog albums you will hear all year. Trust me!” – Heavy Debriefings on “Eidolon” #39 Best Albums of 2019
“Inspired by a tragedy that befell the project in the way of losing guitarist Ryan Erwin, drummer and songwriter Alex Bosson has put his emotions towards honing a release that is as beautiful as angry. Helping him in his vision are guest contributions from members of Haken, Leprous, Thank You Scientist, Fallujah, etc.” – Prog-Sphere on “Eidolon” #19 Best Albums of 2019
“The word “classic” gets tossed around a lot, but I honestly can’t think of a better word for Eidolon. From front to back and top to bottom, this album is both firmly rooted in death metal with a progressive bend while standing alone atop the mountain. It’s equally headbanging heavy and enthralling, music to get in the mosh pit and simply sit in awe of. This is required listening because there’s nothing else quite like it.” – Progarchy on “Eidolon”
“Like Theogony, Eidolon is another very impressive showcase of modern progressive metal. It’s technical, emotional, melodic, and aggressive and is just very well put-together overall.” – wimpsandposers.com
Best of AOTY:
Prog-Sphere: “Theogony” #23 best of 2017
Prog-Sphere: “Eidolon” #19 best of 2019
Heavy Debriefings: “Eidolon” #39 best of 2019
Wimpsandposers: “Eidolon” #20 best of 2019
2019 SAMMIES (Sacramento Area Music Awards) Nominee “Best Metal Band”
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Band: Lunar
Album title: Tempora Mutantur
Release Date: January 31, 2025
Label: Saibot Reigns Records
Track Listing:
1. A Summer To Forget – 6:37
2. Fall Back Into Old Habits – 11:16 ft. guest guitar solo by Wayne Ingram (Wilderun)
3. Seasonal Interlude – 4:47
4. Weakening Winter Touch – 8:46
5. Spring In My Step – 7:26
6. Tempora Mutantur: Part I – Passage of Time – 3:12 ft. guest guitar solo by Sam Vallen (Caligula’s Horse)
7. Tempora Mutantur: Part II – Broken Pendulum – 3:47
8. Tempora Mutantur: Part III – Watch The Weather Change – 4:51
Album Length: 50:45
Album Credits:
Performance and Writing credits – full info HERE.
Produced by: Alex Bosson
Mixed by: Carlos Alvarez
Mastered by: Tony Lindgren
Album Artwork by: Ed Bosson
Member of ASCAP
Album Main Lineup:
Chandler Mogel – Clean Vocals
Brian Lewis – Growl Vocals
Carlos Alvarez – Rhythm Guitar
Connor McCray – Lead Guitar
Ryan Price – Bass
Alex Bosson – Drums
Anthony Stahl – Keyboards
Live Lineup:
Chandler Mogel – Clean Vocals
Brian Lewis – Growl Vocals
Jordan Price – Guitars
Ryan Price – Bass
Alex Bosson – Drums
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About The Album Artwork:
The album cover was once again done by my father Ed Bosson. I wanted to do the seasonal songs based on the autumn version of the cover you’ll see (for the song “Fall Back Into Old Habits”). So my dad was gracious enough to recreate the painting 3 more times with the different seasons. The winter version is what ended up being the final cover for the album.
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
The album deals with something we can all relate to: the passing of time. Lyrically and musically you will experience some of the highs and lows we all feel along the way.
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):
1. A SUMMER TO FORGET – the album starts of with a song that sounds a bit upbeat musically (heavy with the horns) despite a fairly dark lyrical theme: dealing with memories, how we sometimes forget what we wish we wouldn’t and cling on to what we wish we could forget.
2. FALL BACK INTO OLD HABITS – this is the longest song on the album, and one of the heaviest. Mostly having growl vocals and multiple shreddy guitar solos. Lyrically dealing with addiction, or anything we do that can give us temporary relief to help us get through rough moments, but ultimately have terrible long-term effects on ourselves.
3. SEASONAL INTERLUDE – this song is a bit of a breather. We take some self-reflection in knowing that the bad times will pass and, though it may not be immediate, the good times will come again. Musically it’s soft and emotional with some beautiful cello work before exploding into a heavy ending with a very avantgarde saxophone solo
4. WEAKENING WINTER TOUCH – this song is dealing with the feelings of weakness and powerlessness over our own circumstances. Often asking “why?” or “what did I do to deserve this?” Musically I think this is a very powerful song, heavy on the synths with a catchy and powerful chorus.
5. SPRING IN MY STEP – a much more upbeat song with an awesome main guitar riff, dealing with the relief of hitting a positive point in time. We’ve gotten through the bad times and hit a good high… but how long will it last?
6. TEMPORA MUTANTUR: PART I – PASSAGE OF TIME – the first of a 3 part song. The soft piano piece where we look back and reflect on what we’ve had and what we’ve lost, ending with a beautiful set of harmonica and guitar solos
7. TEMPORA MUTANTUR: PART II – BROKEN PENDULUM – the second part deals with the anger we feel over what we can’t get back. Likely the heaviest song on the album
8. TEMPORA MUTANTUR: PART III – WATCH THE WEATHER CHANGE – the final chapter where we deal with denial and mental vacancy. A good balance of heavy elements, but with a catchy chorus.
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Fun Facts – Story Angles
1. The second album “Eidolon” is written from Alex’s perspective about the death of his friend and Lunar co-founder Ryan Erwin
2. 3 of the 4 album covers were paintings done by Alex’s father Ed Bosson
3. The members of Lunar have never all been in the same room together
4. The band has existed for a decade and will finally be playing their first live performance as this group in 2025
Top 1st Row – Ryan Price – Bass, Alex Bosson – Drums
Middle 2nd Row – Connor McCray – Lead Guitar, Chandler Mogel – Clean Vocals
Bottom 3rd Row – Carlos Alvarez – Rhythm Guitar, Brian Lewis – Growl Vocals, Anthony Stahl – Keyboards
Based out of Sacramento, CA, LUNAR is a progressive metal band formed in 2013 when longtime friends Alex Bosson (drums/percussion) and Ryan Erwin (guitar/vocals) decided to get together and write the style of music that was always in their hearts: genre-defiant and free of restrictive influence. After securing Danny Stevenson on Keyboards, the search continued for a full lineup… but to no avail. Rather than delay their progress, the trio decided to record and self-release their debut EP, PROVENANCE, in the Winter of 2014.
Shortly after the release of PROVENANCE, Danny parted ways with the group, while Bosson and Erwin began work on LUNAR’s debut full-length, THEOGONY – a concept album based on the nine Muses of Greek mythology. While reading about Melpomene, the Greek Muse of tragedy, Alex realized that the concepts that these nine Muses represent – subjects such as history, tragedy, music, love, etc. – are the backbone for most creative output in this world. In keeping with the progressive element of the band, he had the idea to spread the musical and lyrical diversity of these themes across an entire album: each of the nine tracks named after one of the Muses, the music and lyrics based around the theme that each specific Muse represents.
Once more unable to flesh out a suitably complete lineup as writing progressed, Alex and Ryan decided to enlist contributions from other professional musicians around the world – initially a handful of guests laying down additional guitar solos. With the eventual additions of Ryan Price on bass and Chandler Mogel on vocals, a proper lineup for THEOGONY was set: and by the end of the recording process 17 different musicians had participated – including members of Hatriot, Angel Vivaldi, Helion Prime, Berried Alive, and many more.
In the Summer of 2017, LUNAR signed on with Divebomb Records and in November of 2017 THEOGONY was released on CD. A logical step forward from PROVENANCE, the dynamically atmospheric hour-long journey of THEOGONY is sure to please fans of Porcupine Tree, Opeth and Tool – to name but a few – with its lushly textured contrasts of beauty and aggression.
THEOGONY received numerous raving reviews even being called a “masterpiece” and “A record everyone must own. Every generation and every country should adore an album like this.” And even made #23 on Prog-Sphere’s Top albums of 2017.
In the Spring of 2018 Ryan Erwin unexpectedly passed away, leaving Alex unsure of what to do. After some time passed, he decided to persevere through the tragedy and continue on with LUNAR. Using the tragedy as inspiration, he began writing the next album, EIDOLON – another concept album based around the cycle of life and death and the stages of grief that the ones left behind feel. After writing all the music for the album, Alex enlisted friend Balmore Lemus (NOVAREIGN) to handle tracking guitars for this album. And with Ryan Price and Chandler Mogel both returning again, the lineup for EIDOLON was set.
In keeping with the diversity that the guests brought to THEOGONY, Alex decided to continue with that idea. By the end of recording, a total of 18 musicians contributed to EIDOLON – this time including members of Haken, Thank You Scientist, Fallujah, Leprous & Caligula’s Horse, to name a few.
EIDOLON is another journey of progressive metal at its finest, spanning 7 tracks and nearly an hour of material. Once again being released through Divebomb Records, EIDOLON is available as of November of 2019.
LUNAR’s 3rd full-length album, entitled “The Illusionist,” was released on March 3rd, 2023 on Saibot Reigns Records. The album featured another slew of amazing guest musicians, including: Sam Vallen, Andy Gillion, Jørgen Munkeby, Christian Muenzner, Ben Karas and more! Plus features the addition of Alex Nasla on keyboards. The album was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios and features cover art by Travis Smith.
No waiting long between releases, LUNAR is now presenting their fourth full-length “Tempora Mutantur” due out on Jan 31st, 2025 on Saibot Reigns Records. For this record, there’s a fresh lineup to change it up from their previous one with the addition of guitarists Carlos Alvarez and Connor McCray (Vis Mystica) along with keyboardist Anthony Stahl plus album guests Wayne Ingram (Wildrun), Joe Gullace (Thank You Scientist) and Sam Vallen (Caligula’s Horse).
A collaboration of musical minds, and with anything LUNAR does; “Tempora Mutantur” is an emotional thematic listening experience with lots of ups and downs musically and lyrically dealing with the passing of time and the effects it has on us physically and mentally.
Originally the album was to be a 4 track EP with seasonal concepts, but as the cooperative wrote more and more, they decided they wanted it to be more and have some general passing of time themes as well, so they pushed forward with a full album experience.
“This album deals with something everyone can relate to and no one can escape: the passing of time. We get older, our perspective changes, and we gain some things, and lose others… sometimes the things and ones we love. And we struggle and fight along the way. This album deals with some of the highs and lows we deal with along this journey we all share. Hopefully, the fans will be able to resonate with it and find some solace and aid in their own experiences of time passing. I believe the songwriting has gotten stronger over the years. I think the songs are a bit more well-structured. But I think the overall sound of the band has remained pretty consistent over the years. The music is very “prog,” so it’s been diverse I think from day 1. Probably even more so now than it was at first.” adds band co-founder and drummer Alex Bosson.
Recommended for fans of Opeth, Caligula’s Horse, Haken, Tool, and Porcupine Tree.
A studio project since first conceived in 2014, LUNAR will make its live debut next year at the 2025 Hyperspace Metal Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada on April 11th. Info here.
Discography:
2025 – Tempora Mutantur – LP
2023 – The Illusionist – LP
2019 – Eidolon – LP
2017 – Theogony – LP
2014 – Provenance – EP
Endoresements: Alex Bosson – Scorpion Percussion sticks
Band: Lunar
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