Moonlight Sorcery - Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle

Angry Metal Guy

The unheralded band that could. Moonlight Sorcery are a melodic black metal outfit that materialized out of nowhere and destroyed any skepticism I had about their buzz. Their first EP, Piercing through the Frozen Eternity, was killer, comprising 4 tracks of bona fide 4.5 material. The sequel, Nightwind: Conqueror from the Stars, was darker, moodier, and less melodic but still extremely compelling. Not even a year following the second of these, I was delighted to discover that a full-length debut was due; 44 minutes of premium black metal was promised. Is it even possible for these Finns to match my expectations?

For those that haven’t heard Moonlight Sorcery’s EPs, Horned Lord nominally comprises black metal which is especially melodic, symphonic, and theatrical. For those that have, it’s even more melodic, symphonic, and theatrical than previously. The album is obscenely energetic, almost frantic, in the layering of its tremolo-picked guitar line at the bottom, a shredding guitar above that, and then synth symphonic instruments at the top. It almost has the tone and style of power metal except that the occasional blast beats and harsh shriek keeps things rooted in blacker territory. The melodies and histrionics result in Moonlight Sorcery being to black metal what Children of Bodom is to death metal. Horned Lord makes for an easy first listen but the fact that there’s a lot going on means it rewards return visits too. “Yönsilmä” is a highlight and demonstrates this quality. It opens more slowly and moodily before a turn-on-a-dime transition accelerates into the core of the song. The song’s main guitar solo is one of the album’s most enjoyable and the big, theatrical drum fills at the end offer a finishing touch.

Some of the tracks carry the instrumentation’s frenetic energy into the songwriting. Moonlight Sorcery seem not sure enough when they’ve landed on an especially good idea so continue cycling through all the ideas they could generate. “In Coldest Embrace,” “The Secret of Streaming Blood” and “The Moonlit Dance of the Twister Jester’s Blood-Soaked Rituals” are skittish rather than enthusiastic, unfocused rather than varied, and flit between riffs and synth string melodies at will. Passages from these tracks and a couple of others could be exchanged without losing much meaning from the individual songs. The last of these in particular offers masturbatory, Dragonforceful guitar porn which demonstrates the band’s technical prowess but offers little else. Horned Lord is an unrelentingly fun record, but my immersion breaks when it occasionally crosses the line into silliness. At the risk of sounding like that guy, I liked the band better on their EPs when they were comfortably distanced from that line despite their overblown, strong melodies.

Moreover, the core, rhythmic leads that underpin heavy metal are somewhat buried in the mix by the shredding guitar layers and synth instruments. These were routinely excellent on prior releases, and they remain so here, but the busy arrangements and voluminous embellishments obscure and dilute their impact. Moonlight Sorcery have discovered synthetic instruments and evidently feel obliged to use them. It takes some effort to pierce the mix – though I accept this may result from the streaming format on which this review is based.¹ Horned Lord is a lot, and it’s a lot the whole way through the record but for some exceptional slower passages. I’d argue it’s too much and that simplifying would serve the band better. The best symphonic metal bands are those that use it in moderation and know when to diversify from synth strings. Moonlight Sorcery have the feel of a child unleashed in a sweet shop² or a puppy with the zoomies. It’s entertaining but slightly tiring.

I’ve mustered a reasonable number of complaints across this review, and admit that I’d rather listen to their 2 EPs back-to-back than Horned Lord. But given the EPs’ immense quality and the fact that Horned Lord is so damn entertaining at its core, I struggle to not rate the record highly nonetheless. Moonlight Sorcery have a cool thing going on and plainly have a ton of creative ideas. A little more songwriting discipline, and dynamism flowing from simple passages to pair with the complex ones, could engender a very exciting career. For now, their fresh, vigorous approach to black metal merits admiration but in the future they could be something very special indeed.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Avantgarde Music
Websites: facebook.com/moonlightsorcery | moonlightsorcery.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: September 29th, 2023

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