There are loads of entities across the vast underground that we manage to find under many different monikers in different bands whether it’s in the form of simple self-expression with a new act or contributing to a band that manages to bring something entirely different to the table. While not as prolific as some, the man behind the revered Veldes has long been an influential force in my taste for atmospheric black metal, and I long thought it would be solely through that project which I would hear all that he could bring to the table. But, starting the final stages of last year, it became apparent that’s not the case with the premiere of Mossgiver that we’re shown a new side to the man’s talent. Already, however, it’s clear to see that Mossgiver is already a force to be known and to be reckoned with in every capacity.

It’s almost natural to attempt to draw a comparison between Mossgiver and Veldes in some sort of effort to show how they build off each other while one uses different elements, but that would be to make Mossgiver sound like little more than a spawn of another act which couldn’t be any further from the truth with these four tracks more than holding their own even without considering what’s come before. With some epic black metal influences at play here to elevate the performance as a whole into something much more than simply atmospheric, the very fibers of what’s to be had within “The Song Among Branches” is enough to attract what many fans throughout the community are constantly looking for should they know it or not. There’s real magic woven into the very notes of this creation to the point where one listen simply isn’t nearly enough for anyone looking to experience all that Mossgiver has to bring to the table in this instance with each track not only providing us a glorious new vision into the endless mystery of the deepest wilderness, but it allows us to hear the very peak of what this style can become when it’s put in the right hands. Several times before has the integrity of this artist been tested under multiple names, but it is single-handedly with “The Song Among Branches” that I can’t help but feel like we’ve gotten special all on its own that towers above so much of the competition in how mature its songwriting is, how complete it feels, and how utterly compelling it is right from the very beginning. In a style that can often feel wildly oversaturated, a performance such as this simply cannot go unheralded for all that it accomplishes, mesmerizing in all that it brings to the table, and all but viciously gripping right from the start cannot be denied for all that it is with Mossgiver being all but perfect to bring such a fascinating work before our very eyes.

Whenever an album like this comes around, it’s always interesting to me. It embodies all that’s great about the very whole of atmospheric black metal as it holds true to many of the trends that the style uses constantly but they’re simply done so well with the voracious talent to match that it becomes a treated that’s layered wondrously to quickly become something much more than some lo-fi black metal that isn’t trying. The name Mossgiver is still new to the scene, but it’s with all that’s done within “The Song Among Branches” that it has instantly become one of the names to know in the current climate with the future Mossgiver’s to seize at any given moment of this excellence.

LISTEN to “The Song Among Branches” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Mossgiver on Facebook here.