EP Review: Moonaadem – Douleur de renaitre
Reviewed by Rick Eaglestone
Solo artist Moonaadem explores themes of rebirth and the human experience with latest release 'Douleur de renairte'.
Opening track ‘Givre’ is a furious wave of black metal which beautifully weaves atmospheric elements throughout providing the EP with an immediate captivating yet emotive backdrop which is followed up by the short instrumental ‘Regarde moi exil’ which has an elements of dungeon synth embedded in its ominous nature.
‘Louve’ provides the EP’s first ambient tones, they are calm & relaxing yet there is a slow heavy heartbeat running through it with sprinkles of black metal which I can’t help being enamoured by this. Hands down the highlight track of the release for me.
Revisiting the fury and speed of the first track ‘Lueur de demain’ for the most part is maniacal but once again Moonaadem’s creator Marwan Antonios manages to embed subtle elements that only amplify the heavier elements and once again follows up with another short instrumental ‘Lointaine tourmante’ once again is so well done it feels like part of the previous track.
Title track ‘Douleur de renaitre’ is a perfect embodiment of the EP’s aesthetic and themes. ‘Acception’ combines snarling vocals and spoken word parts all under a cloud slow melancholy provide a great snapshot of everything that has come before it.
Finally, ‘Marche, Aliéné’ manages to somehow be the releases calmest track whilst still maintaining a dark edge.
The sweeping tempos and emotions throughout have managed to pull at the heart strings but still create a swirling tornado of tumultuous heaviness stands as a testament to the artist's commitment to his craft and dedication to a vision uniquely his own, far from political or religious alignments instead choosing instead to dive deep into the universally relatable human experience.
