Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle - Moonlight Sorcery, 2023

Moonlight Sorcery’s Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle is nothing short of a great, triumphant, frostbitten fusion of symphonic black metal with neoclassical and power metal touches. This album is epic, frostbitten, and amazingly put together. It plunges you into a grand, fantastical, frost covered landscape.

I am a huge fan of the synths combined with the awesome guitarwork. The synths make for an epic sound and gothic elegance while the clean guitar work and solos just blow you away. It reminds me of a combination of Children of Bodom, Dissection, Emperor and eighties power metal. Even though it’s more accessible and catchier than the aforementioned black metal acts, it still remains dark and medieval and truly black metal at its core.

I can’t even decide which tracks are stand out tracks because in my opinion, they all stand out in their own way. They are all majestic, showcasing great musicianship. This is a great modern black metal release. Although modern, it takes you back to the eighties while simultaneously taking you back to the time of kings, queens, dragons, infernal magic, and fallen empires. Perfect for any great Dungeons & Dragons campaign.