Moonworshipper - 13 Fullmoon Nights of Loneliness (2020)

Always releasing superbly interesting stuff, Hypnotic Dirge Records unleashes Moonworshipper and their ‘EP’ “13 Fullmoon Nights of Loneliness”. Featuring a truly chaotic, experimental, and yet lush sound, this release pretty much takes elements from almost every genre of music and mixes them together in a very melancholic and tormentous release. If you are a fan of Manes, Lethe, Ulver, and similar outfit, this release is right up your alley.

Starting with some cavernously Doomy guitar riffs, the single 24-minute track in this release hints at a very heavy and punishing journey. The crushing guitars and rhythmic drumming is perfectly offset by hellish vocals and crafty tempo changes. This is until the band switches things up with hauntingly eerie piano/atmospheric passages and the introduction of sultry female vocals. Note that at this stage the guitars and doomy vibe are still very present as the band continues to dabble in some Depressive/Suicidal BM influences mixed into jazzy and noir-esque female singing.

As you are probably wondering, this release brilliantly combines seemingly disparate elements in a very effective and powerful way. The music is well crafted and flows quite naturally, without the need of clear and dramatic interludes. Moonworshipper has definitely one of the most unique sounds in a while, putting them in the ranks of visionaries like Devil Doll, Ephel Duath, and similar.

Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records

Release: June 13th, 2020

Genre: Experimental/Avant-garde Metal

Country: France