Canada 1997. A most hidden coven unites four souls, resulting in the creation of a collective dedicated to Death… and Black Metal. To the mortal world it becomes known as MOONLYGHT and the conjurers are Sébastien Robitaille (vocals and guitar), Thierry Nadeau (keys), Fred Bédard (guitar), Dave (bass) and drummer Caps.
Concealed or not, what shines through MOONLYGHT’s music is the ability to bring several styles under the same roof (Black, Death, ‘Dark’ Metal) with relative competence. Progressive Darkness is good enough to have been released twice – in 2002 via Metal Disk Records and 2004 via Escapi Music. Different styles work together for the same common goal and sound image in the band – something between majestic, ceremonial orchestral, acoustic and bard-like.
Sometimes the mish-mash is not quite successful, and maybe songs tend to be a bit too long (it is easy to lose the thread), but on the whole Progressive Darkness is quite varied and has a good many interesting details.
For additional vocal work, the band invited Jessica Bell, who lends her voice to “Fantasy” and “Progressive Darkness.” Then there is also the violin, the accordion and some other surprise elements. I cannot say this is the album of the month, but it does have very important passages and a nice melancholy design. Should please fans of BORKNAGAR, DISILLUSION and to a certain extent CRUACHAN.
Official Site Moonlyght | Myspace Moonlyght
Moonlyght – Fantasy
Additional Information
MOONLYGHT was part of the late 90s Canadian extreme metal scene that produced several notable underground acts. The band’s approach to combining progressive elements with extreme metal was somewhat ahead of its time, predating the more widespread acceptance of such fusion that would emerge in the mid-2000s. The dual release of Progressive Darkness speaks to the album’s underground appeal, with Escapi Music being known for supporting experimental extreme metal acts during that period.
The inclusion of folk instruments like accordion alongside more traditional extreme metal instrumentation was relatively uncommon at the time, making MOONLYGHT’s sound distinctive within the Canadian metal underground. Their ceremonial approach to songwriting shares DNA with the atmospheric black metal movement while maintaining death metal’s technical complexity.