When we’re dealing with a scene as jam-packed and thriving as black metal, it really does feel as though you have to become truly exceptional or be known as a deep find in the dense underground in order to make any sort of name for yourself. It’s made the scene evolve into something absolutely cutthroat to a point that when new potential comes along it makes waves damn near instantly. Moonlight Sorcery is a tremendous example of such with the EP that they released earlier this year still causing much of a ruckus whenever someone brings it up, and I was confident that we would hear more from the name come next year, if not a little further out. But, clearly, Moonlight Sorcery is not the sort of name to sit idly for long with a new EP already before us with it more than cementing the name’s claim to power in the underground without so much as a single ounce of possible deniability.
When Moonlight Sorcery put out “Piercing Through the Frozen Eternity” back in February, it really felt like you couldn’t go two steps without someone bringing it up for a few weeks, and rightfully so! A killer piece of black metal that had a solid amount of that classic flair while proudly making a statement that shows Moonlight Sorcery is by and large its own entity that is not to be underestimated, the future looked bright for the new name in the game. I don’t think many of us were expecting something so soon, however, the arrival of “Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars” was just as surprising as is welcome. Not only do these four tracks, including a viciously entertaining Agatus cover, continue what was laid forth in its predecessor, it arguably improves upon that foundation. Across these 19 minutes, Moonlight Sorcery put forth a display of absolute dazzling mastery that spans every aspect of their sound from the epic scope of the rhythms to ripping solos that wouldn’t stop for the very ending of the world to how voracious and intoxicating every moment of “Nightwind” presents itself to be with the very magic of the EP lying in the simple fact that one cannot stop listening once entrenched with what Moonlight Sorcery has wrought. It all comes together beautifully such that it all makes for the sort of experience that demands you to listen to all that there is to offer here.
Words of mine can only go so far when dealing with what “Nightwind” brings to the table, and it’s such that I can only implore you to investigate Moonlight Sorcery if you haven’t already with this EP absolutely being an offering that is not to be taken lightly. Tremendous right from the beginning and stunning even after listening to it for hours on end, this is surely but the start of something special for Moonlight Sorcery.
“Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars” releases on January 13th via Avantgarde Music!
LISTEN to “Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Moonlight Sorcery on Facebook here.
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