Taking a look back on what was an exceptional release back in 2015, yet one which may well have slipped under the radar for many, and that's the split album from Torver and Arcane North titled From Moonrise To Moonset. Two extremely promising bands made their mark with this one, providing a welcome addition to what is already an extremely strong thriving black metal scene here in the UK.
From Moonrise To Moonset is an atmospheric black metal album with "atmosphere" being the key word. This album is dripping with it, both Torver and Arcane North focus intensely on this, creating a dark, melancholic yet haunting atmosphere throughout with their music. Torver's side is particularly noticeable with this, among other things there's a heavy emphasis on clean, powerful vocals with an ethereal quality which really enhances the atmosphere. From Arcane North you can expect similar, a bit more subtle slightly more orthodox with clear influence from In The Nightside Eclipse era Emperor and Burzum to a degree. Their music though takes the key elements of these sounds and shapes it into their own creation, and again contributes greatly to the feel of this split album.
I think what makes this split work best though, is the synergy between both bands. They're doing their own thing, sure, but they complement each other incredibly well and while both bands are quite different in their approach and sound they fit together seamlessly on this release. As a result you've got something greater than the some of its parts, and an extremely cohesive album as opposed to the chimera you sometimes get with split albums.
Now I said when this album came out, in a review I wrote for Black Phoenix Rising forum, that this album would be "one for the ages", one you'll remember for years to come, and I stand by that. While it's only been out two years the fact it's still getting played regularly and will be doing for the foreseeable future I think shows at least a little just how much of an impression From Moonrise To Moonset leaves.
The CD was available through Blackwood Productions, I'm not sure if it still is, the tape version is though and you can also get From Moonrise To Moonset from Torver and Arcane North's respective Bandcamp pages, although you'll have to download each band's half of the split separately. You can also hear the full album on the Atmospheric Black Metal Albums channel on YouTube, and it'll be featured on the Dark Side Of Metal show in the near future as well.
- Demoniac