Okay, I wasn’t sure if Red Moon Architect would be able to surpass their previous album Fall, which was a seriously impressive listen, but Return Of The Black Butterflies takes things to new levels for this talented Finnish doom outfit.
Featuring five top-notch songs and a really atmospheric intro track, each track packs a punch in its own way and to say they’ll blow you away is almost an understatement for just how good they are. Spinetingling, crushing and emotive doesn’t even come close to describing what Red Moon Architect have created with Return Of The Black Butterflies. Seriously. This is a breathtaking album; the combination of sludgy, doomy guitars juxtaposed against melodic synths is magical, and the way this approach is echoed in the vocals thanks to the deep harsh vocals and the gentle clean vocals is a nice touch.
One highlight of the album is the title track, as it’s a great follow-up to Black Butterflies from their debut album Concealed Silence, but the strongest track has to be the closing number NDE, which is an epically breathtaking piece of work. Taking their time to build things up with atmospheric keys and crushing guitars, when the harsh vocals kick in they hit you like a tonne of bricks and they add so much body and power to the track. The listener is then treated to some beautiful clean vocals in the latter half that will give you goosebumps and the clean line that kicks in just after the ten-minute mark is a definite earworm that you’ll be humming along before you know it! The track is just so emotive and passionate and will definitely remain with you for a long while after you’ve finished listening to it.
Return Of The Black Butterflies is a seriously breathtaking and rewarding listen. Red Moon Architect have created something absolutely stunning with their latest effort and it’s an absolutely magical piece of work that showcases the band at the absolute top of their game. This is an album that mustn’t be missed.
10/10
