Title: Darkness Above Middle Earth EP
Artist: Moongates Guardian
Rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Epic Black Metal
Year: 2014
Country: Russia
Label: Self-released
There have been countless Metal bands that have taken inspiration from the work of Tolkien. Some bands such as Amon Amarth only take the inspiration so far as a Tolkien based name, while other bands such as Summoning base their entire career around Tolkien. Many of the projects which focus solely on Tolkien rely greatly on symphonic elements, making the realm of “Symphonic Tolkien inspired Black Metal” a competitive genre where it is difficult to stand out.
Moongates Guardian from Russia emerged into this genre with the Darkness Above Middle Earth EP, and proved themselves to not just be “another Tolkien metal band”. With only two members (Skilar, who performs all instruments, and Alexey from the band Holdaar on vocals), Moongates Guardian have created a modern day release that can stand proud next to early 90’s classics. There are several elements which allow Moongates Guardian to stand out. The first that must be mentioned is the excellent production and sound quality of the instruments. The production is clear, loud, and strong, while the sound of the instruments themselves are very professional virtual instruments. While I am a lover of classic synthesizer sounds, I am also a fan of MIDI instrumentation when it’s utilized correctly. The overall production of the band creates a huge, orchestral feeling.
Skilar has proven to be a very talented songwriter, who is able to excel at using a variety of instruments. From full string and brass orchestras, to bagpipes, to choirs and timpani, his melodies are memorable and his composition is very strong. The song Wolven Blood is entirely instrumental, and is possibly my favorite track on the EP. The song features heavy choir work, militant percussion, and great folk inspired flute melodies. This was the first Moongates Guardian song that I listened to, and bought the EP immediately after the song was over.
While the guitar and drumming is minimal and the band is focused more on the symphonic elements, Alexey’s harsh and hateful vocals keep the Metal aspect of the music in the forefront. Even with the abundance of symphonic instrumentation pushing the music foreward, Moongates Guardian never allow you to lose the feeling that you’re listening to a Metal band; one that seems as if it’s fronted by a violent Uruk-Hai armed with a guitar and an entire orchestra. Even the percussion manages to maintain an aggressive Metal feeling when the classical instruments are being used; giving the drums an almost military march quality.
The band also makes very effective use of sampled clips. The song Isildur’s Curse (one of the EP’s highlights) demonstrates this, with the movie clips aligned perfectly with the instrumentation. The clips do not sound like they were extracted from a film, but rather as if they were intended to be part of the actual song, which is not an easy effect to achieve. These clips along with the progressive nature of the music gives the band a soundtrack like feeling, keeping the listener engaged and completely involved in the Tolkien theme. The band would not exactly be out of place in a collection of video game and movie soundtracks, with the exception of the fact that it maintains a dark and hateful Black Metal atmosphere.
While many bands aim for an epic, Tolkien inspired sound, Moongates Guardian are a unique band which flawlessly mix medieval, soundtrack and folk music with Black Metal. While this approach is not entirely unique, the band executes their music in a way that is unlike anything I’ve heard before (at least performed at this level of Metal mastery). Highly recommended for Metal fans who love Tolkien and heavy orchestra arrangements (and if you don’t, you probably should not be on this website).
