Storming | Celestial Clear Moonlit | Iron Bonehead Productions

 

Release Date: October 18, 2024

Format: CD, Vinyl

Genre: Black Metal

Country: United States

Behind Storming stands one figure, Ratatosk, who channels the spirit of the early black metal underground with complete devotion. The band emerged from the American scene with a vision anchored deep in the cold roots of the genre, one that rejects modern polish and chases the sound of the forgotten. After the debut, Storming returns through Iron Bonehead Productions with the second full-length “Celestial Clear Moonlit,” a work steeped in tradition and haunted by the essence of 90s European darkness.

The album has five tracks where stretching compositions dominate. “Cleaved By Heaven,” “Starfire,” and “Over Horizons” expand like ancient chants echoing through caves of frost. The guitar tone is shredded and dry, rough enough to recall early Moonblood, with a warmth that still cuts through the haze. Ratatosk’s approach is to keep the structure direct and hypnotic, repeating riffs until they open into something ritualistic. The drumming is primitive, moving in constant motion, keeping the tension alive while the vocals swing from raspy growls to distant choral echoes, almost spectral in presence.

The use of synths deserves attention. They hover in the background, forming a mist that surrounds everything else. There’s a strange beauty in their placement, subtle, eerie, like light reflecting off ice. “A Life-Absorbing Path,” the brief instrumental, serves as a calm breath between storms, while the closing track “From The Heart Of Breath” ends the album with a drifting sense of finality, as if everything is fading into fog.

What stands out in “Celestial Clear Moonlit” is its atmosphere. It has that timeless quality of black metal made for solitude, forests, and night skies. The sound is unrefined but spiritual, capturing the heart of a genre that thrives on authenticity. Every riff, every whisper, comes across as something ancient being rediscovered. The production is intentionally raw but far from chaotic, it invites you to listen closely, to get lost in the repetition until it becomes meditative.

Storming succeeds in creating something that feels honest, atmospheric, and deeply connected to a tradition that refuses to fade. “Celestial Clear Moonlit” is not an album for casual listening; it demands immersion, patience, and a taste for the archaic. For those drawn to black metal’s earliest shadows, this is a release worth exploring.

Score: 7.0

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