While the ghostly laments of the album Charnel Noir (2021) continue to haunt our nights, Light of the Morning Star has once again emerged from its vault. This project, the brainchild of a single artist, O-A, cultivates mystery (if the promo photos are to be believed, there are now two of them) and sticks to its credo: necromancy, vampirism and devil worship. Suffice it to say that with such promises, our attention is obviously captivated, and it's with real pleasure that we embark on Wings in the Night Sky, just as we would tackle autumn.
The return of the night, of the cold, of death, at last. It's only with four tracks that the gothic metal project decides to torture our souls: should we see this EP as a continuation of Charnel Noir or a foretaste of what's to come? Probably a bit of both. The universe, as immersive as ever, is instantly recognisable. So too are the influences: Night Falls mixes the post-punk tension of the drums with the icy fog of guitars that sometimes veer towards black metal. The distant vocals hide their threats and promises behind a veil of misty reverberations. Light of the Morning Star is always theatrical and superb, and the music continues its journey into the frozen darkness.
Hypnotic, poetic and disturbing, the EP exudes a delectable macabre perfume. The melodies are mesmerising, while something purely evil and merciless emerges (Burial Chamber Cold). Light of the Morning Star is neither grotesque nor sophomoric, and the result is atmospheric, hauntingly catchy. The nervousness of Phantom Lights, the most overtly metal track, is followed by the impressive Aura, which takes the time to set its sublime cinematic funereal atmosphere: it's heavy, it's darker than the deepest night, but it's not devoid of a form of irresistible black magic. It makes you shudder. The EP, with its occult tableaux, evokes the sinister silhouettes of Lon Chaney, wandering in the shadows of London after midnight, Bela Lugosi and his cape, and the black and white visions of Mario Bava or Tod Browning...
Malevolent, sepulchral, haunted, putrid, magnificent: with just four tracks, Light of the Morning Star reaffirms the power of its deliciously gothic spells. While we hope to have news of this project in less than three years, here's something to accompany the long winter nights and our wanderings among the tombs. Excellent!
