Mossgiver - Led By The Glowing River
25 Aug 2021 - Pat O'
Post-Black/Blackgaze/Atmospheric | Release date: 01 Aug 2021
If you go down to the woods today….bring headphones, and let Mossgiver take you on a “post-black” journey through dense, dark woodlands that are choked with blast beats, vicious vocals and thunderous drums.
Tilen Šimon is one of those talented individuals that has a naturally artistic mindset. Sij MusicArt is one of his latest creations and it’s used as a way of expressing and sharing his musical and visual talents. People like Tilen have this gift of painting a picture, giving it a soul and creating music to bring it all to life.
This formula, along with his song writing prowess is what paved the way for his “Blackgaze” project, Mossgiver. What is immediately striking about the Slovenian’s debut release Led By The Glowing River is the artwork. It depicts an endless pathway through a forest that’s thick and heavy in foliage, with an opaque mist rolling across the background. The dark and atmospheric vibes from this genre of music only adds to that shady and veiled perception. Mossgiver is a blend of “post black metal” layered with deep-set “blackgaze” and “dark-folk” nuances. As a debut release it’s very impressive, and what is equally as impressive is the fact that Tilen plays all the instruments, writes the lyrics, and covers the vocals. Let’s take a walk down a path less travelled and see what emotions this natural ecosystem we live in can evoke, with Mossgiver playing the soundtrack.
The opening track to the album, and a very fitting title is “Paths Anew”. It immediately feels like taking a wrong turn and straying into a dark deep wilderness that leads you through murky and mist covered woodlands that rustle and whisper to shredded guitars and thundering drums. To add to that air of mystery, synths fill what remains of the dense and canopied forest air. It doesn’t take long however for the tempo to shift to a manic blast beaten inferno, with rasping vocals laying siege upon the woods as the air heaves in cedar sap. This atmospheric juggernaut of a track continues to shape and shift, this time to a downtrodden plod, partnered with a lead guitar that soars high above the rhythm section. It’s joined once again by those wailing screams, hitting you with venom and a pitch that could only be found lurking beneath the dark brown undergrowth. The track breaks down once more to a simple acoustic stringed interlude with open chords sending reverb through the track. Synths add a celestial layer to the heavily fogged atmosphere, with flute tones creating a break in the clouds, allowing light to penetrate the woodland, reflecting shadows that dance and sway against the heavy thick fog. Chunky, rolling riffs join natures orchestra bringing with them great power and huge depth. If that wasn’t already enough to keep you enthralled, these giant trees splinter and splice as the vocals hit like lightning, both piercing and vehement. Thundering double bass drums rumble once more before a final flourish of blast beats and screams fill the air and swallow up everything in its path. It’s a “post-black” tirade that shifts through tempos and chords without respite, keeping you engrossed and deeply involved.
In a different approach to the intro, “Led By The Glowing River opts for a calmer acoustic opening, again, with flutes and synths calmly laying down a sweet and sedate melody. Slightly distorted and reverbed guitars pull through some riffs with a slow beaten drum that seems to lead you to an ancient ritual ceremony deep in the black country. A solo guitar glides over the track, before the calm is shattered by machine gun drums and driving guitars. The pace is frantic and near hysteric as Satan’s screams are summoned once more to breed horror and chaos. This music is vast and deeply atmospheric. It transcends itself into a blanket that smothers and suffocates every one of your senses. It’s what good “post-black” or “blackgaze” music does to you. It immerses in the melody, pace and atmosphere without ever letting the drama dip. This year has been a really great year for this genre, with bands like Olhava and Gloosh allowing nature to be the catalyst to create soundscapes the take shape from the earths own organic energy. Mossgiver thrives on this too, and it shows once more as the music chases you through a wilderness with cymbals crashing, chords vibrating and vocals rasping.
“Embrace The Wrath Of Wind” is the last of the three tracks and opens with its Stairway To Heaven-like intro, that breezes and whistles along carefree and undisturbed. But as the title of the track suggests, the wrath of wind is sure to follow, and it certainly does. Branches sway and bend, leaves hurtle from the treetops as a storm whips up a trail of fury. Blast beats, power chords and a rumbling bass guitar drives the track forward with great intensity and potency, bringing a thunderous end to the album. It may be only three tracks, but with each one surpassing the ten-minute mark, these epic tracks will bring you on a nature trail you will not have experienced before. Sij MusicArt is a name to keep an eye on, and Mossgiver’s Led By The Glowing River has certainly rooted itself within the “blackgaze” wilderness. Enjoy.