A Band: Moonlight Sorcery

It's been awhile since I've talked about...a band.  There has been a ridiculous amount of killer metal released in the last few weeks, and it can be overwhelming if you try to stay abreast of the "underground," as it were.  One release, in particular, is in danger of wriggling its way off the map entirely.  I can't let that happen.  I'm speaking of the debut full-length from Finnish meloblack paladins Moonlight Sorcery.  It's called Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle, and folks, it's good.  Of course, you need to have a taste for the idiosyncratic flavor of Kool-Aid that these guys are pouring.  I would place it somewhere in between Rock-A-Dile Red and Mountainberry Punch myself.

I've actually editorialized on Moonlight Sorcery before.  I don't feel like using the search function, so for now, I'll repeat some of what I said in the past.  ADDENDUM: I caved in and used the search function.  A neat tool, that.  Anyway, I described the band's music as "icy, well-calculated black metal with a melodic bent."  That pretty much sums it up, especially with regard to the first two EPs.  The sound on Horned Lord has been reconditioned a bit.  We're still on melodic black metal turf, but the new tunes have been inoculated with the flair and character of power metal.  Keyboards are more pronounced.  I don't know if this helps draw a clear picture of what I'm hearing, but I feel exquisitely nerdy when I'm blasting this stuff.

Speaking of which, dungeon synth seems to be part and parcel of the album's chemical make-up.  That's just me reading into their influences.  I should note as a disclaimer that Moonlight Sorcery has not officially endorsed dungeon synth.  Hell, maybe they hate dungeon synth.  I don't know, but either way, that's enough on dungeon synth.  You definitely need to scope out Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle if you're a fan of catchy, finger-deforming guitar solos.  In fact, Moonlight Sorcery's penchant for shredding brings Children of Bodom to mind.  If you're in a rush, sample "To Withhold the Day" or "Fire Burns the Horizon."

Best songtitle?  "The Moonlight Dance of the Twisted Jester's Blood-Soaked Rituals."  Man, what is it about jesters that inspires badass metal?  What do the members of Moonlight Sorcery and In Flames know that we don't?  I bet it has something to do with Funnyman.