(Written by Islander)
The Finnish black metal band Moonfall trace their origins back to 2008, and their first demo to 2010. But there things ended for a decade until the duo reunited, releasing a new demo in 2020 and a split with Regere Sinister the following year. Now, at last, they’ve made a debut album named Odes to the Ritual Hills that’s set for an April 11 release by Iron Bonehead Productions.
Much could be said about the activities of the two performers (Goatprayer and Black Moon Necromancer) because both have been active over many years in a multitude of other bands, including Witchcraft, Ceremonial Torture, and Beherit. But rather than detail those histories and find linkages between them and what’s about to be available on the new album, let’s instead turn immediately to the music.
The album includes four tracks, with an unusual construction. Two of the songs, the title track and “Countess Carody“, are in the 10-minute range. On either side of them are comparatively shorter works, the opener “1560” and the closer “Thus Spoke Satanael“, both of which are all-synth instrumentals. By design, the four are best understood and appreciated in their continuous sequence. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be appreciated individually — far from it.
What we have for you now is the premiere of the album’s title song (and way down below you’ll also find that other long song, “Countess Carody“). Vintage synths play a role in the song, as you might expect from the two bookend tracks. They contribute materially to an ancient supernatural shroud that seems to encompass the experience, which in other respects sounds like the unchaining of some long-confined evil now hungering to re-establish its dominion over the mortal world.
In the song’s overture, drums hammer like the onset of a ritual and the keys mysteriously quiver and then shimmer like an old organ, like an audio incantation unfolding. We also hear reverberating utterances from what is being invoked — deep, gasping, strangled, and truly monstrous sounds from a demon throat, and frightful laughter.
The beats begin to stagger and lurch while some mangling stringed instrument slowly and dismally whines and gurgles, both pestilential and sickening in its creeping tones. The vocals continue to sound demonical, but now as if a foul horde of malicious creatures is assembling.
Eerily quivering gothic organ tones continue to surface and submerge, and a lustful heat begins to build in the music as the drums hammer with greater vigor and the nasty riffing begins to hungrily quiver itself. It all sounds primeval as well as evil, a primitive and pernicious experience — and hell, those voices, they do sound like the rotten and rapacious denizens of hell.
Eventually the voices briefly fall silent, giving way to the seductive eeriness of the synths, but they return, again accompanied by the disemboweling and gut-chewing manifestations of the brutally distorted bass guitar, by primitive pounding beats, and by bizarre and wraithlike shiverings way up in the sonic rafters.
Ultimately, only those strange pinging keys, woozily weaving and wandering, and the nightmare vocals remain, providing a hallucinatory finale to a nightmare song.
Iron Bonehead will release Odes to the Ritual Hills on CD and vinyl LP formats. It will be available for purchase beginning on the day of release, April 11th. As promised, we’ve also included a stream of the first song disclosed from the album, “Countess Carody“. It won’t help you sleep easy either.
MORE INFO:
https://www.ironbonehead.de
https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/ironboneheadproductions