Moonlight Sorcery - Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity
There hasn’t been a true Black Metal guitar hero yet. Some might say that would be beside the point. The genre isn’t defined by virtuosic abilities. It is much more about creating a vibe, an aesthetic, an atmosphere. But Loitsumestari Taikakallo has the potential to change that. He certainly has a catchy name. On Moonlight Sorcery’s phenomenal debut EP “Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity” he shreds like an evil version of old Yngwie, one blistering guitar solo and bombastic lead after the other. But just like the smart kind of guitar heroes, he knows that guitar heroics alone are boring. And there is much more to Moonlight Sorcery. In my everlasting quest to discover new music, I will never pass up an album with a cover that depicts a blue-tinged wintery landscape. Metal fans know that this is code for Melodic Black Metal. (For those who don’t know what that means: imagine Iron Maiden were actually evil and spent a lot of time in frosty woods). Many times I have been disappointed by yet another not-quite-up-to-par Dissection copy, but these guys blew me away. Their musicianship allows them to add flavors other bands don’t while never compromising the icy vibe that is so important to this genre. They vary tempi, they play mean riffs, they throw in majestic keyboard flourishes (but never overdo it), they can write short and epic songs, and the vocals are high-pitched shrieks that are plain bone-chilling (as they should be). This EP feels like a promise (so does the second blistering EP “Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars” that they just released). It is extremely raw, but it shows a band full of creativity that has the potential to ignite new fire into this genre. There weren’t many releases last year that excited me more. The only reason I didn’t include it in my “best albums of 2022” list is that it wasn’t technically a full album (at a runtime of roughly 25 minutes it’s still more than worth it). I can’t wait to hear their first full-length. - Manu
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