Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle
Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle gives black metal a strikingly exuberant side. Moonlight Sorcery combine sharp screams and fast riffs with melodies close to power metal. The guitars constantly work with speed and technique, while keyboards colour the album's fantasy setting. Heaviness and the pleasure of playing both receive plenty of room.
To Withhold the Day establishes that approach immediately. The voice is fierce, but the guitar work has a clear, almost neoclassical movement. Full, firm drums give the music a solid foundation. It consequently avoids sounding thin or distant even when the melodies move at high speed.
Yönsilmä uses its clean guitar introduction to show that the band can build tension before pushing the pace further. Melody matters beyond a sequence of impressive runs. It gives the music recognisable points of contact and makes the exaggerated atmosphere easy to enter.
Into the Silvery Shadows of Night lowers the pace and allows more melancholy inside. That change provides a useful counterweight. It shows that the band can do more than repeat the same fast guitar display. Clearer production also helps the different instruments remain audible during the busiest passages.
The drawback is that some songs share a very similar overall approach. Speed and continuous melodic activity do not always leave them much individual identity. Listeners mainly seeking a bare, hostile black metal sound will also need to adjust to this much musical display.
Moonlight Sorcery nevertheless hold the songs together convincingly. Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle is an energetic debut with strong guitars and a clear purpose. The extreme voice keeps it from becoming completely smooth, while the melodies make it inviting.
