ISLEPTONTHEMOON is an anonymous solo project based in Atlanta, Georgia. Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune (Bindrune Recordings) is their third full-length release.

Although the project is associated with the Black Metal genre, it’s clear right from the beginning of album opener “Safety” that that’s only a part of the story. 

Indeed, the record borrows as much from nineties Shoegaze and Alternative Rock as it does from Black Metal. Acoustic and clean guitars, bowed strings and pianos often make appearances, with dreamlike reverb-drenched melodic vocals being slightly buried under the emotive soundscapes. 

That’s not to say, however, that there’s any compromise when it comes to the Black Metal segments. These sections are ferocious and raw, with crazed screams, frantic blast beats, and bleakly noisy trem-picked guitars.

The album is perhaps at its best when the Black Metal and Shoegaze or Post-Rock elements happen simultaneously. For example at the climaxes of “I Belong To The Void,” where frost-bitten guitars and double-kick drum parts meet with flowing synths. 

“Dimming Light” also combines light and shade expertly, as wonderfully powerful melodies soar across thickly layered distorted guitars.

Other highlights include the rich arpeggios and emo vocals of “Maybe I Don’t Know It Yet, 

But Good Things Are Coming,” the Doom-laden wall of noise apex of “Like Dying,” and the piano and blast beat-led soundscapes of “Safety.”

Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune is above all an outpouring of authentic emotion. ISLEPTONTHEMOON manages to combine the bleakness of Black Metal with a poignance and subtlety more associated with styles like emotional Hardcore or even Indie. This is achieved beautifully and without sacrificing anything in the way of heaviness or ferocity. The effect is heart-rending and magical. The six dreamy and potent cuts here are cathartic and strangely uplifting.  

Only The Stars Know Of My Misfortune is a poignant, emotionally rich, and genuinely moving record that touches the heart. 

Buy the album here:
https://isleptonthemoon.bandcamp.com/album/only-the-stars-know-of-my-misfortune

9 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS
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