Album Reviews : Moonreich – Pillars of Detest

I’ve reviewed enough black metal albums this past year to be almost a connoisseur of the kvlt now, but no matter how many albums using the same ghastly formula, it doesn’t ever seem to get boring. Despite what the first wave’s legacy left us with, most modern black metal bands offer something unique to separate it from the mundane. For Moonreich, another band from the French metal scene I’ve been idiotically ignorant towards, it’s the melodic reprieves and memorable dirges in between the misanthropic chords that make their latest offering Pillars of Detest worth listening to.

At its core, this is still a black metal album. Expect plenty of chords, tremolo picking, gargled vocals, blast beats and lyrics about war. The production value is a comfortable middle ground between studio and Skype microphone (vocals-wise), making it both listenable and authentic. As previously stated, what’s best about the songs on Pillars of Detest are the memorable, but melancholic dirges, as well as the melodic leads that punctuate the rhythm section. Something else added to the mix are the sinister riffs that are fleeting but still appreciated.

The album gets off to a relatively slow start with “Ad Nauseum.” After that, though, the pace gets switched back up reasonably high, with great malicious tracks like “Believe & Behead” and “All Born Sick.” The strongest songs on the album are the longest tracks. Songs like “Pillars of Detest – World Shroud,” “Friekorps,” and “Death Winged Majesty” contain some real juicy riffs and enough dissonance to keep you headbanging through their average seven-minute span.

I’m yet to pick up a black metal release this year I haven’t liked, and Moonreich’s Pillar of Detest is another tasty album that I took great pleasure in sinking my teeth into. Fans of Marduk and Enslaved should love this album.

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