Oh man, this might be one of my most controversial favorite albums of all time. If you think Sunbather (boy, I sure love bringing this album up every review) is a controversial album in the black metal community, this album gets shit from those who even like Sunbather.
Moonlover gets compared to Sunbather a lot. I can see some comparisons though. Whether it's the similar naming scheme or track title comparisons such as Happyhouse and Deafheaven's legendary Dream House (in Ghost Bath's defense, I'm pretty sure Happyhouse takes after The Banshee's song Happy House). Even stylistically, there's some comparisons, but realistically what post-Sunbather blackgaze album wasn't inspired by it?
Moonlover is a grim album, seeming to take inspiration from Austere's DSBM/blackgaze mix, but cranking the atmosphere to 11. This behemoth of an album paces back and forth from chilling blast-beated fueled walls of noise to beautiful, sorrowful post-rock sections on a whim (I will refrain from mentioning the Deafheaven comparisons again) all while being backed by tormented screams that, as far as I know, aren't even lyrics.
The album starts off at its strongest, with The Sleeping Fields. This sets up the mood pretty well. It starts off with samples of water in reference to their name, involving suicide by drowning, then to the gothic, harrowing melody that's repeated until the song's short end. Already I can feel the happiness draining out of me at rapid speeds, and I can't get enough of it. It then transitions to the nine minute monster Golden Number, a beautifully brutal blackgaze ballad that ends off on a very pretty piano section. Words can't describe how this song will make you feel, so I'd recommend just listening yourself. If you like black metal at all, you won't be disappointed.
The album's doom influence starts to show on Happyhouse, beginning with a slow trudge of riffs with some very tight drumming. This doom-y blackgaze sounds steals the show for me, and blows all of its rather unfair Deafheaven copycat accusations out the window. Yet another long song, clocking in at eight minutes, but it has yet to bore me even slightly with its masterful blend of styles and a consistent moody aesthetic that avoids all of DSBM's usual pitfalls of overt edginess.
Beneath the Shade Tree begins the album's descent into a gloomy more post-rock direction. It's a quite ominous piece with just a single guitar playing through most of it that's quite sloppy sometimes. The sloppy playing and programmed drums might turn a few heads away from the project, but coming from a black metal background I've come too find these imperfections endearing. The haunting melody from The Sleeping Fields returns here too, making sure you don't even feel a second of happiness for the entire 50 minute runtime of the album. After the somber end of the track, The Silver Flower, Part 1 follows and continues the gloomy post-rock. Again, I can see how this might be a turn off for some people, but I love it. It's complete disregard for the norms of extreme metal's conventional approach of keeping the energy up in favor of keeping an atmosphere is a bold move, and it pays off.
The Silver Flower, Part 2 marks the return of the blackened doom shoegaze style of this album. This is probably the most epic feeling song here, marking the crescendo of the album's masterful pacing. It's a rush of screaming and noise before returning to the somber instrumentals for a brief period, and then you are blasted with the final track, Death and the Maiden.
Death and the Maiden is a rush. This time with a hint of death metal, the album makes sure to use its last track to make its mark on you and end on a bang. While not as compositionally interesting as other songs here, it makes up for it by just being well composed and played. Traditional metalheads will probably like this track the most. As the track comes to a close, it becomes a wall of doom-y riffs and ties up the album with The Sleeping Field's melodic motif.
This is unapologetically one of my favorite albums, not only from the blackgaze scene but of all time. It's unabashed grim and unique take on blackgaze really marks it as something special to me. So, if you've heard it, give it a relisten with an open mind. If not, I recommend it to the highest degree.
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