apanthropy

Warmoon Lord
Sacrosanct Demonopathy
Werewolf Records
Released: 5/25/25

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1 – Warpoems & Tragedies
2 – Invoking the Retribution Eidolon
3 – A Hungering Yolk
4 – Tartaros Offering
5 – Uncreation’s Dragon
6 – His Enigmatic Ways
7 – Daemonic Supremacy Enthroned
8 – Torch of Magickal Arte
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Warmoon Lord are a Finnish duo comprised of drummer Revenant Strigoi and multi-instrumentalist Lord Vrăjitor, playing windswept epic black metal with sharp and pointed use of heavy melodicism and dense harmonization. Sacrosanct Demonopathy is the band’s third and newest full-length, following 2019’s Burning Banners of the Funereal War and 2021’s Battlespells, released through the esteemed Finnish label Werewolf Records.

If you could drain the essence of Moonblood and mix it with the melodic emphasis of Dissection and the blasting power of early Dark Funeral, you can begin to form the core of the sound within Sacrosanct Demonopathy. Long-form melodic riffs draw out complex melodic exchanges between both guitar tracks, with plenty of minor harmonization to really ignite the compositional prowess behind these songs. Light keyboards rise and exist towards the back of the mix, deep behind the guitars and drums, adding an extra depth of immersion and expanding the overall soundspace.

‘Invoking the Retribution Eidolon’ opens with a blastbeat-driven percussion line playing host to a long, razor-sharp melodic primary riff. A galloping rhythm ensues with the first battery of keyboards making themselves present. Cosmic arpeggios feed into bursts of choir swells and melodic single-note picking. Rhythm guitar chord progressions invoke damnation and provide an icy spine for the lead melody to bind itself to. Machine-gun double bass and thundering tom fills establish Lord Vrăjitor as a versatile operator behind the percussion battery.

‘Tartaros Offering’ opens with a storming sequence of sliding and churning power chords in front of mid-tempo drumming before evolving into long-form melodic leads that continues to progress into various cyclical melodies. Keyboards struggle to break through the maelstrom of razor-blade melodies, ever constantly evolving through various phrase exchanges. Rapid exchanges of epic and sweeping passages pepper the wintery landscape of the track, sometimes feeling sonically overwhelming but never disjointed or incomplete feeling.

‘His Enigmatic Ways’ is a galloping calvary charge of ice-cold melodic interchanges and trotting drums. Riff exchanges are violent and sudden, unique and formative. This is pure cold Finnish black metal at its best. A melodic, keyboard-drive interlude cuts the song in half and provides space and breathing room in the midst of the sonic barbarity.

Mixing was handled by Trollhorn (Finntroll/Moonsorrow/Vargrav) and the outcome sees a crisp and sharp mid-range with vicious guitar and vocal presence. Drums occupy a neutral position, strong in presence but not sonically overdemanding. Keyboards are light and soft but could have been moved up in volume and presence to really have created a polarizing atmospheric demonstration of black might.

Warmoon Lord have clearly continued to evolve their songwriting and compositional attacks throughout their short six years of existence and have established themselves as a must-hear Finnish act in the 2025 global metal scene. Where other bands entirely miss the point of melodic-minded sonic execution and either go too far or don’t evolve their melodies enough, Warmoon Lord strike a polarizing balance between melody and power. One that elevates the music into epic and soaring demonstrations of demonic sonic assault.

This is perhaps one of the strongest European black metal albums of 2025, based on its primary positive strengths and lack of noticeable deficiencies. Fans of epic, melodic and atmospheric black metal have an option here that is certainly worth exploring.

Label: Werewolf Records
Band: Warmoon Lord

AJK