While we find ourselves in one hell of an age for black metal in every regard, we all know good and damn well that there are names out there that are simply in a league entirely their own. No matter what particular vein of black metal we’re dealing in, the shadow and influence of such greatness is not something that we can easily escape from when we’re considering what makes modern black metal such an absolute treat in its many forms. Having left an indelible mark upon the scene since its arrival six years ago, it’s with their fourth album that the exalted Lamp of Murmuur continues to be a tour de force of focus, creativity, and mastery in the scene.

It has only been two years since we last heard from Lamp of Murmuur, and those of us who know this act knew damn well that it wouldn’t be all that long before the entity would return to us. There was but one question that remained: what form would the act take its dark aural majesty next? Hailed as one of the most creative and interesting names in the modern landscape of black metal, the world is their oyster with Lamp of Murmuur seemingly capable of anything. For everything summoned throughout the nine tracks of “The Dreaming Prince of Ecstasy”, it’s made clear time after time that this is yet another glorious achievement for Lamp of Murmuur as well as the very concept of black metal itself. This is what it means to understand your craft on an intimate level and transmute it into something beautiful yet never once losing so much as an iota of its macabre intensity. A cathartic and undeniably intoxicating energy weaves these weighted themes together in magnificent fashion with impeccable craftsmanship through enchanting riffs and compelling passages that allow “The Dreaming Prince of Ecstasy” to exist both within and without the confines of what we would consider black metal. Yet, when all is said and done, there’s little to deny as to precisely what kind of performance Lamp of Murmuur has put on here.

It’s a masterclass offering from one of the rising dark stars in a scene that can oftentimes be plagued with stagnation and a tragic lack of inspiration. It’s yet another testament to the overwhelming might that Lamp of Murmuur possesses, and yet one more reason why we should bow before the name itself. “The Dreaming Prince of Ecstasy” has so much to call its own, and incompetency is simply not one of them in any form whatsoever.

LISTEN to “The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Lamp of Murmuur on Instagram here.