Review Summary: Warmoon Lord brings a classic melodic black metal sound with a modern edge.
It’s honestly crazy to think where the black metal scene is now compared to back when it was just getting started. Back in the early 90’s grown men would dress up in corpse paint, take pictures in forests with swords and spikes and some even went as far as to commit brutal and heinous crimes. But with all of that came something truly special. Black metal may seem stupid to people who aren’t into it, but this genre invokes a feeling that others can’t replicate.
Warmoon Lord is a one man melodic/symphonic black metal band from Finland. If you are already a fan of the genre, you should know Finnish black metal is up there with the very best in terms of overall production and quality.
Burning Banners of the Funereal War is Warmoon Lord’s debut album, and you really can’t get off to a better start than this. Even though it’s only a debut, this album brings back the classic sound of 90’s second wave black metal. The production here is hazy and cold. No static and doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a basement but the atmosphere of the trems and blistering raw and frigid riffs are absolutely perfect. The vocals are ear piercing and banshee like. Sometimes symphonic black metal albums come off as cheesy and over produced but this is the exact opposite of that. Think of the frozen yet stunningly beautiful melodies from albums such as
The Somberlain by Dissection or
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant by Dimmu Borgir and you’ll get a good idea of what to expect from this. The best part of the album is the almost effortless mixture of melody and heaviness. It’s the perfect balance.
It’s hard to stand out in a scene full of one hit wonders and generic rip offs of the glory days but Warmoon Lord does just that with his debut album.
Burning Banners of the Funereal War is the perfect album to help someone get into the black metal genre. It’s raw yet full of melody. It’s heavy yet beautiful as hell. It makes you feel as if you were trekking through a forest in the dead of night with the moonlight shining upon you. And the best part is, it’s only a debut. The best could be yet to come for this exciting new one man band.
