Most extreme metal fans who survived the mid to late nineties will remember just how crucial Finland became in the emergence of the more melodic and experimental side of black metal. While Norway and Sweden clearly held the upper hand in terms of bigger names, their non-Scandinavian neighbours certainly contributed more than their fair share to this exciting new movement.
Just one look at the cover of Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle (Avantgarde Music), the full-length studio debut by Tampere terrors Moonlight Sorcery, and you’re transported straight back to that time of fearless low budget experimentation, enthusiastically amateurish hand-painted artwork and over-elaborate but still legible band logos. Not to mention monochromatic photo shoots of band members scowling under hurriedly applied corpse paint while holding a variety of pointy weapons in a forest, graveyard, or some other suitably cold and spooky location.
A veritable blizzard of riffs, blastbeats and indecipherable shrieks herald the entrance of “To Withhold the Day”, a viciously moody opener punctuated by atmospheric keyboards and a keen ear for melody, lead guitarist Loitsumestari Taikakallo (aka Mattmagic) stamping his authority all over the record right from the off.
At this point, the uninitiated could be forgiven for thinking this was simply going to be another trip into traditional screamy black metal country but as already proven on their earlier short form releases, Moonlight Sorcery have many more tricks up their sleeve. Songs like “In Coldest Embrace” with its early Dimmu Borgir-meets-Satyricon stylings, and the swirling, moody magnificence of “Into the Silvery Shadows of Night” might be less frenzied in their approach but the chugging rhythms from guitarist Haaska and Taikakallo’s adeptly performed solos imbue these cuts with pure Nordic atmosphere.
After its slightly unconventional opening, “The Secret of Streaming Blood” swiftly becomes a barrage of vicious black metal, the shrieks and screams spat from the mouth of vocalist Ruttomieli coming straight from under the bowels of the bowels of the earth. The simply outstanding “Yönsilmä” (roughly translated to “Eyes of the Night” or “Night Eyes”) opens with reverb, delay and a distinct tendency towards the progressive before mushrooming into a flurry of fast paced axe work, neoclassical shredding, and even a gallop riff.
Opening Google Translate once again, we find that “Vihan verhon takaa”, a song filled to bursting point with hate and fire, becomes “Behind the Veil of Anger” while the translation-free but Bal-sagoth length title “The Moonlit Dance of the Twisted Jester’s Blood-soaked Rituals” is a schizophrenic, off-kilter instrumental and sensational showcase for guitarist / bassist Taikakallo who runs the show completely.
“Fire Burns the Horizon” is fairly straightforward black metal with a progressive edge to the solo and middle eight while closer “Suden tie (Wolven Hour part II)” follows on from the band’s 2022 independently released five-track EP Piercing Through the Frozen Eternity and brings the curtain down with no shortage of style.
Mixed by Star One (et al) vocalist Dan Swanö with drums performed by Tommi Tuhkala from Ondfødt, Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle is a supremely confident, inventive and authoritative debut. Whether it’s the virtuoso fretwork, savage rhythms or throat-ripping vocals, each individual performance stands out on one of the most impressive black metal albums of the year.
Buy the album here:
https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/horned-lord-of-the-thorned-castle
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK