Moth Gatherer
A Bright Celestial Light:
Review

Debut album for the Swedes progressive/experimental post metallers and you really should not miss this one. Moth Gatherer in their debut album, A Bright Celestial Light, while stepping on the shoulders of giants of the genre such as Breach, Neurosis and Cult of Luna bring five truly excellent tracks that will not leave any fan of heavy experimental music disappointed.

With the inclusion of electronic elements to give a more psychedelic dimension to their music, something that is further added by the ingenious use of synths, keyboards and various effects to build a daunting atmosphere, the album will remain unforgettable to anyone after the very first few minutes. What is even more intriguing is the emotional charge that comes with the bands music, from the heavier cathartic moments of songs like “The Water That We All Come To Need” to the melancholic lead guitar parts, for instance in “Intervention” (which reminds me a bit of The Atlas Moth in places), A Bright Celestial Light transfers an extreme variety of emotions to the listener.

Obviously all of the above would simply not be enough, if the music itself was not interesting. And here Moth Gatherer come through like true champs. By incorporating elements from different genres, we are talking from doom and sludge to post metal and electronic music (is that diverse enough for you?), with a basis that I personally find closer to the more aggressive edge of Cult of Luna but coupled with the more emotional side of Neurosis (especially in the closing track of the album “A Falling Deity”) and the gloomy quality of Isis, on top of which you will also get moments of experimental hardcore, just the way that Breach used to do in albums such as Venom, for instance “A Road of Gravel and Skulls” has inherited a few things from the release of the fellow Swedish band.

In the end of the day this is an album that encompasses what I consider to be all the virtues of extreme experimental music of the past few years, sounding heavy (listen to the epic beginning of “The Womb, The Woe, The Woman”), experimenting with different influences across the board and transferring different emotions to the recipient, just to name a few. If you believe that all of the above appeal to you then Moth Gatherer will be an unforgettable experience. I am really eager to see where the band is going to take it from here…