A cold and calculated performance is one of the many things that extreme metal has excelled at over the years with all sorts of different iterations on the concept being done by bands seeking to further all that the underground can still through down, yet the more emotional opposite side of that very coin is something that is always in demand of. It can be one thing to offer an unforgiving listen, but it’s another altogether to make your work truly evocative to the point where the themes permeate the work as a whole and leave the listener profoundly affected. Black metal, for all intents and purposes, has been a sound that has been more than capable of handling both but while plenty try there just aren’t that many bands that can offer both. Joining forces and going for maximum effect to tremendous results, it’s in this split that No Point in Living and Moon of the Wind deliver such profoundly haunting dreariness.

The decision to go for something that tugs at the heartstrings and something that makes an immediate impact while consistently punishing the listener sonically is oftentimes the thing that can make or break any single performance. With what we see here throughout “Child:of:Illness” is two sides of the same coin across two distinctly different acts offer us a continuous performance that’s as unyielding as it is subtle at times. It’s from Moon of the Wind that “Child:of:Illness” is given its more atmospheric and gentler side while still ensuring that the black metal cuts deep and true. Like the loss of a life on a snowy wintry night as one wonders how something so sad can be surrounded by something so beautiful at the same time. But then it’s No Point in Living that kicks the door in with its far more aggressive approach that the other side of this proverbial coin is given the malice and punch. Scathing and voracious but profound in its own suffering, No Point in Living allows “Child:of:Illness” to take its rage and fury out on the world even as the inner self continues to decay and turn on itself in such a form that’s as painful to witness as it can be all too true for some listeners.

Separate, both acts deliver the two sides to depressive black metal that make the sound as elusive to pin down for some artists as well as one of the darkest forms of true catharsis. However, it’s together that both Moon of the Wind and No Point in Living allow “Child:of:Illness” to become something far more than a mere split. Quickly, “Child:of:Illness” becomes a collaborative exploration of what this style can be when two different sets of incredibly adept hands are brought to the table and simply allowed to do their thing in such a way that leaves a damn good impact.

Darkness itself is at play throughout this creation, yet it’s in how it’s harnessed and channeled to make for such a powerful retching from the soul itself that Moon of the Wind and No Point in Living definitely come out on top even if the call of the void still claws away at their very spirits.

LISTEN to “Child:of:Illness” on Bandcamp here.

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FOLLOW Moon of the Wind on Instagram here.