I love stumbling across bands I don’t know. I recently found the new record from The Moon and the Nightspirit, and something about their name drew me in. The album is called Seed of the Formless and is right up my alley.
The Moon and the Nightspirit come to us from Hungary. They are a duo, namely Ágnes Tóth and Mihály Szabó. They seem to handle the wide range of instruments together, taking cues from bands like Dead Can Dance. This new album, apparently, is quite different than their previous ones.
The music here is gothic post metal. The band usually delves deeper into progressive folk, world music, and pagan sounds. This album is more reminiscent of Trees of Eternity, full of ethereal vocals from Ágnes, heavy guitars, shadowy folk accents, and this feeling of dwelling between darkness and light. It is beautiful and haunting.
I’m surprised that I’ve never come across this duo before. Their music in the past is definitely the type I enjoy, and this new sound lands solidly in some of my favorite genres, too. The more I listen, the more I love the surprisingly complex guitars, the spacious feelings of cosmos and earth, and the contrasts between melody and distortion.
Seed of the Formless contains eight songs and they are all wonderful. In the first half, we get “Cosmic Seed”, a slow-burning opener with plenty of heaviness near the end; the more energetic “Odyssey Limen” with its searing and surging rhythms; and the more melodic “The First Tremor” with its gorgeous vocals and meaningful guitars. I skipped “Luminous Thread” because it’s my favorite in this half, full of percussion, pale moonlight melodies, heavy guitar work, and even some harsh vox. It’s glorious!
The second half has two more of my favorites. It begins with “Astromorphosis”, which is mostly instrumental until the last couple minutes. I like how cosmic and ethereal it sounds. Next comes “Fount of Everlight”, maybe my overall favorite with its fantastic vocals, sing-able chorus, and ancient roots. “Olden Resonance” feels like a doom song, both melodic and lumbering, heavy and yet melancholy. I really like it, especially as it leads into the terrific closer, “Lament of the Thistle-Queen”; this piece is a hovering, ambient, spacious ode to the sorrowful wind. I love how it slowly climbs to a guitar climax, but the song itself is all about quietude, emotions, and atmosphere.
I need to go back and listen to this band’s entire discography. I know Seed of the Formless is different, according to the band, but there’s something about their writing and presentation that I believe will connect with me through any genre they explore. This album is gorgeous and fans of gothic and witchy metal should definitely take a look.
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Find The Moon and the Nightspirit online:
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