Many, many bands have tried to make their own little brands of atmospheric black metal stand out more than plenty of others, but there it’s not terribly often that we get a band that can actually pull it off even half-well. But, when it’s done right, it can become something pretty awesome to behold no matter how you look at it. Moonknight’s own special blend has plenty of merit to it, and it’s with the act’s latest offering that we get a fairly short but damned good work of it.

It appears to be more often than not that loads of bands that attempt to create atmospheric black metal find themselves making lengthy tracks for better or for worse, and it’s here that Moonknight definitely continues such a trend despite there only being two pieces within the confines of “Discernment” that are simply labeled as “Part I” and “Part II”. But with such a colorful artwork that brings forth these two tracks into the visual medium, it becomes clear upon not even the halfway mark of the first track that “Discernment” focuses a little more on the atmospheric elements rather than the actual metal, but that does not mean the black metal that Moonknight proudly wields is shunned by any means whatsoever. It’s just as vicious as it should be as it knows the perfect moments to crash in as well as knowing when to dip right out such that the whole of “Discernment” constantly delivers one deadly impact after another whether it’s cutting into our soul or inflicting a physical blow. The texture all throughout these tracks show us just how well Moonknight can provide us with a diverse work of atmospheric intrigue that can effortlessly dip in and out of a scathing soundscape that’s just as entrancing as its atmospheric counterpart such that by the time you come to the end of “Discernment”, you’ve been taken through a real tour of what it means to be a band of this style that’s constantly pushing their sound to new borders that can really entertain just about any listener.

This is far from a normal entry in the world of atmospheric black metal, and I can’t help but feel it couldn’t be any more interesting even if Moonknight really went for it even though you can tell this act poured their all into this detailed work. It’s an incredibly varied listen that’s as interesting as it is harsh, and it’s with “Discernment” that any open-minded fan of black metal will find loads of fun to be had here.

LISTEN to “Discernment” on Bandcamp here.