Band:	Moonlight Sorcery
Album:	Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity
Style:	Melodic black metal
Release date:	February 17, 2022
A review by:	nikarg

01. Untenkutoja
02. For Thy Light Is Ice
03. Ice-Veiled Spell
04. Wolven Hour
05. Hauta-Alttari

Did you enjoy Stormkeep’s debut last year? Good. So, here is another one for you that will quench your thirst for over-the-top, melodic/symphonic black metal.

I was planning to include this in our Clandestine Cuts series, which is our monthly feature for new, underground, and unsigned bands. When I first listened to Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity, I got instantly hooked and my first thought was that this is some of the catchiest extreme metal I have heard in 2022. Apparently, I was not the only one that was impressed; Avantgarde Music announced the signing of Moonlight Sorcery only four days after the digital release of this EP on Bandcamp, which means that it will be soon available on the physical formats it undoubtedly deserves. So, what is so special about it?

First of all, the blue cover art almost always guarantees that an album of this subgenre is going to be good, and this one is no exception. The intro track sets the mood with the gloomy piano and its melody is adopted by the lead guitar on “For Thy Light Is Ice”. The solo that finishes off the track is pure eargasm and you will generally notice that there is a strong neoclassical feel in the lead guitar melodies and the solos, which are a real treat throughout. And it’s not just the guitars that stand out; the synths that carry “Ice-Veiled Spell” forward, for example, are simply magickal. I just love how they create an atmosphere that is dark, epic, medieval, and frozen (duh). This is clearly a band that has a ‘90s-worshipping sound, reminiscing the best of times that decade has offered us. And, given the fact that Moonlight Sorcery come from Finland, the subtle touch of early Children Of Bodom is to be expected.

But there is a wide palette of influences on display here, and the songwriting is quite accomplished, sprinkled with ambient, heavy, and power metal ingredients. The heavy metal component is very much present on “Wolven Hour”, one of the best tracks - regardless of genre - that you are going to listen to this year. Its guitar work feels as if Randy Rhoads has resurrected and is now playing in a black metal band. You really have to hear this song to believe it.

There is no need for too many words in the case of Moonlight Sorcery. Piercing Through The Frozen Eternity is a quality EP, especially considering that this is the band’s first appearance in the metal world. Expect great things in the future.