Info
- Band(s): Moonlight Sorcery
- Label(s): Avantgarde Music
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, Cassette, CD
- Release Year: 2023
- Review Date: January 18, 2024
- Author(s): FelixS
Admittedly, after the amazing ‘Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity’ EP from early 2022 my expectation were extremely high on any material that would serve as its follow-up. That first Moonlight Sorcery EP was beyond any doubt one of the best pieces of Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal I have heard in a very long time, so when that successor appeared later that same year I was stoked to hear it. But as it often the case when expectations are (too) high, the result was not living up to it. Not that ‘Nightwind: The Conqueror From The Stars’ was anything remotely bad, but it lacked that spark, that special thing, that made these Finn’s debut EP so appealing. So, now that they have returned with their first full-length I am approaching it with a little more open mind and with less expectations…
But, let’s just start with a conclusion for a change. ‘Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle’ is a proper way to follow up their previous work, in fact, it is a very decent step up from the band’s second EP. ‘Nightwind: The Conqueror From The Stars’ did not only lack a bit of that unearthly wild and creative song writing of its predecessor, also production-wise the EP sounded quite inferior. But gone is the somewhat muffled sound and the band welcomes back the crystal clear sound that let’s the true bombastic and symphonic nature of the compositions shine as it did on ‘Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity’ EP.
Everything that made Moonlight Sorcery so special in the very first place was the trio’s capacity and ability to forge their compelling music out of elements from the (more) standard sort of Melodic Black Metal and the flashy parts of traditional Heavy Metal – Power Metal maybe even. The result is rather pacey Black Metal that is heavily laced with multiple layers of keyboards and symphonic components and topped off with very crafty guitar bravery that would not be out of place on any of the better (Finnish) Power Metal bands – take a listen to a song like ‘The Moonlit Dance Of The Twisted Jester’s Blood-soaked Rituals’ or the previously as a 7” single released ‘In Coldest Embrace’ for instance. Or, damn, a song like ‘Fire Burns The Horizon’ sounds like Yngwie Malmsteen joined a Black Metal band, totally stunning work. This approach doesn’t only make Moonlight Sorcery sound fresh and renewing, it even propelled the band right to this genre’s highest regions of brilliance.
While I have already started with a concluding final judgement, it might be fair to add that the element of surprise that the debut EP benefited from is obviously gone, but if we try to look past that we can only conclude that ‘Horned Lord Of The Thorned Castle’ is just top-notch contemporary Symphonic Black Metal that knows very little equals.
Avantgarde Music
- Country: Italy
- Style: Black Metal, Doom Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
