Moonfall – “Wings of Darkness of Adversary” (Independent, 2020 / Angel of Cemetery Records, 2021)

Well, where should I begin? Finnish Black Metal is special. Of course, we tend to focus on Beherit, and we must! The band’s approach to the genre, and fusion with several elements from Death and Doom, as well as Ambient, and later Electronics (please, let us skip that event), led to them being revered by the most extreme Black Metal fans as quintessential for the more extreme fringe of Black Metal. Many have followed, but very little have, in fact, reached the level of intensity I personally get from the band. We could go on and on about the number of bands that decided to (try) emulate Beherit’s sound but let us talk about a band that took Beherit’s sound and went on from there. 

This is an old release, for today’s human standards of time – 2020 – but it sounds so good, that I had to pick it up. That, and I only came across this duo, this year. And this sucks, for I have been following plenty of their other projects for a long time (Ceremonial Torture, Necromonarchia Daemonum, Witchcraft, and Black Feast), and missed this one.

Do they sound like Beherit? No. Do they have hints of Beherit? Yes. Are they just another copy-cat? I do not see them that way, honestly. They sound rotten and disgusting, and so did Beherit. I do enjoy the fact they captured a bit of Doom, slowing it down, dragging it a bit. It gives it that kick, you know? A smooth transition. Moonfall, at times, sounds Greek! The keyboards, the guitar parts… it almost sounds Greek, and I just love it, for Old-School Greek Black Metal is something one must experience. Harsh vocals, piercing screams. The way the keyboard is used, there is no fear of using it, of making a prominent part of the song! I have already mentioned the slow pace, but I can underline enough how much heavier the music becomes, when it is used. It gives it this chilling atmosphere… it is superbly used.

Honestly, there is not much one can say: Moonfall sounds old and rotten. Cobwebs cover the dying corpse, and the light of the Moon shines on it. The aesthetic, which was the first thing that pulled me in (the multitude of mentioned projects), goes hand and hand with the sound. When you press play you feel you were taken back to the beginning, a specific beginning I did not live at that moment in time, and this is the best I can find to make me believe I was almost a part of that Artistical Dawn.

I advise all Black Metal fans to give these lads a go, as well as all their projects, as you will find something very special in each one of them. Remarkable indeed.

Witchcraft – “Sodomythic Temple” (Nuclear War Now, 2022)

Finland, we meet again. Moving from Moonfall to Witchcraft is moving really close to home. Here, Goat Prayer of Black Baptism (love these names) takes on vocal duties, just like he does with Moonfall, and you already know what to expect: destruction, utter destruction. I just love how deep is vocals are, how crushing they are! Witchcraft is a trio, and all the lads play in bands together, or with a mate of his mates; it is just a couple of musicians that created a lot of projects to spit out hate and desecration.

I remember reading comments where people would mistake the band members with actual Beherit members, given the attention that was put into detail in terms of aesthetics. Music wise, they sound a lot more like Beherit than Moonfall, for example. Harder and more punishing, and still rotten and absolutely disgusting, of course. The moments I identify with, the most, are the ones where they take their foot off the pedal, and it just goes into this almost Doom vibe, this slow, dense, ambiance. Sort of like, dragging corpses. 

Then you have the piece that, in my opinion, gives it that edge, that extra point: synths. It does not dominate; it just takes their sound to a different level, a much higher and stronger one. The Finns do know how to make it scary, do they not? We can label it as a Raw and Primitive approach to Black Metal, without a doubt; however, unlike many other "participants in the game" of Black Metal, the rawness we can hear, it seems to come directly from the bowels of Hell. I have always appreciated that one thing in Beherit's work: that rawness has always been real. 

Not much more to say, honestly. It might sound simple, and I risk ending short on how I analyzed the band's sound, and if that actually happened, you need to go and check it for yourself.

Nuclear War Now!

Nuclear War Now Productions Official Bandcamp