The relationship between Metal and Folk has allowed for continuing crossover and in terms of imagery, tone and aesthetic they are often intrinsically linked together. There are of course there are the purely bombastic Folk Metal bands that often invoke a booze culture, but there are also the likes of Wardruna, who offer authentic pagan folk instrumentation and scope yet still prove unquestionably rooted in the metal fraternity. Since their inception in 2003, Hungarian duo The Moon And The Nightspirit, consisting of Ágnes Tóth and Mihály Szabó, have fitted firmly in the latter camp with fantasy focused pagan folk that proves as haunting as it does captivatingly beautiful.

Latest album Metanoia (Prophecy) continues the multi-instrumentalist duo’s trend of conjuring vivid fairy-tale and fantasy driven landscapes with a range that encompasses further than initial listens may reveal. Throughout, despite its use of traditional and perhaps more primitive instrumentation, TMATN invoke a captivating aura which hits near-heavy reaches as often as it does majesty and beauty. The opening track encapsulates this with its gradual build from isolated instrumentation, increasing in layers throughout, including contrasting vocal harmonies between the pair. With a much more ‘world’ concept than merely pagan, Metanoia also sees subtle but vibrant additional influences throughout as well, from the Oriental sounds on ‘Kilenic Hid’ to the tribal percussion on the title track.

Metanoia is a startlingly beautiful effort which holds a surprising brevity, but is also an accessible and immediate effort which will appeal to a plethora of audiences; in fans of Extreme Metal as well as traditional folk/world music and even those with a penchant for soundtracks. Arguably much more accessible than the likes of Wardruna, Metanoia should be the album to put The Moon And The Nightspirit on the map.

7.5/10

CHRIS TIPPELL