Review Summary: Demonic ecstasy
With Lamp Of Murmuur’s albums seeming to each explore a different facet of black metal, one could sense a sort of culmination with their fourth installment. The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy feels like an extension of the second wave-friendly approach of 2023’s Saturnian Bloodstorm but comes out more grandiose in comparison, offering the band’s longest runtime yet at fifty-three minutes and more symphonic flourishes in between. It’s less like an Immortal pastiche (like that was ever a bad thing?) and more aligned with groups like Emperor, Old Man’s Child, and early Dimmu Borgir.
It’s especially commendable to see the project rise to this occasion as bandleader M still handles all the instrumentation beyond a couple backing vocal credits. The production is scaled up and keyboards have a more pronounced presence as the style calls for, but the guitars are also given more oomph to keep things balanced and powerful. The blasting drums and croaking vocals work as the primary links from previous works, rounding things out quite nicely.
The songwriting also has an excellent flow as the tracks play like a gradual exploration of methods past tempered with hearty extravagance. Coming off the dungeon synth prelude on “The Fires of Seduction,” “Forest of Hallucinations” bursts in with twinkly keys weaving around the crispy riffs and fluctuating blasts. “Hategate (The Dream-Master’s Realm)” and “Resurrection Of A Witch” put in punchier riff sets with the former’s coming out particularly memorable. I also appreciate how seamless “Angelic Vortex” carries out its murky clean guitar and ominous synths.
Things really get interesting with the three-part title track. The first part keeps things speedy and leaning even more into danceable post-punk that could’ve come from 2021’s Submission And Slavery, the second delving into disorienting melodicism, and the third returning to epic blackened intensity. “A Brute Angel’s Sorrow” is also a fabulous comedown that serves as another one of their Dead Can Dance-style folk ballads.
Lamp Of Murmuur has always maintained a quality track record but The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy really showcases how much the project has grown. The more symphonic elements never feel like too much as the musicianship is balanced enough to not lose sight of all the moving parts. It also helps that the songwriting may be their most memorable thus far alongside some cohesive sequencing. No doubt this project still has plenty in store but it’s worth wondering whether they’ll go even further on the flair or end up somewhere else altogether.
