Despite having a long history with video and pc gaming, I must confess I have never played any of the Dark Souls games, including predecessors or successors. The meta surrounding such games simply isn’t my thing, but the dark fantasy setting where merciless demigods reign and grim heroes follow their trail of hubris speaks to me. Nameless King offers us an audial glimpse of what such a world could sound like, as the artist takes his inspiration solely from this series. I might do one or more reviews about his previous releases later on, but for now I will write about his most recent work (and, coincidentally, the most recent release of my modest list of reviews). Nameless King has created releases both darker and sorrowful. There’s still darkness and sadness to be found in this release, yet he decided to do things differently for Moonlight Heretics. The evocative artwork by Vojtěch Doubek is the first remarkable change. He traded photo manipulations and paintings for drawings which wouldn’t look out of place in a stylistic comic book, which I mean as a compliment.

More importantly, Nameless King takes on a more orchestral approach on his latest outing. I could describe every track in great detail, yet I shall limit myself to what I consider to be the highlights. The first track starts off modestly with lovely acoustic strings and piano melodies. It serves as a portent of things to come, an intro to a world shrouded in darkness which hangs by a thread of light. However, the contrast between Moonlight Heretics and the next track is massive. Not that this is a bad thing; A War upon the Lakes is easily one of the artist’s best compositions. We take a step further into this gloomy world and discover that a great war is taking place. From up a hill, we see bloody skirmishes between men and monster which could go either way. The combination of heavy percussions, deep bass strings, violins, and brass instruments makes me believe humanity does stand a (small) chance against these monstrosities through acts of sheer defiance. In fact, I believe the brass instruments may be the most defining elements Moonlight Heretics as a whole has to offer.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Siofra has similarities to the mighty Fief with its neo-medieval melodies. Where Gold and Moon unite is a contender for the best song Nameless King has ever produced (along with the second track on this release). The wonderful combination of stirring string melodies, mighty drums, and subtle brass instruments is breathtaking. Let’s not forget about the awesome piano play at work here, which works towards crescendo’s which bring tears to my eyes.

Another interesting track is False Stars of Nokron. It starts off somberly, yet slowly evolves with great care into a veritable epic of pounding drums and triumphant brass. If there’s one criticism I have with this track, then it would have to be that the climax runs a little too short and could have done with half a minute more. This is a small point, however. Even though the second half of the record isn’t as enthralling to me as the first half, we still get a collection of tracks which give many Dungeon Synth artists a run for their money. There is beautiful piano play to be found in The Stars Hang Still. We see a return of neo-medieval elements in both A Sorrow Mended (Aurelia) and Jarburg. A Manor of Recusants and Cometh the Stars are delightful nods to old-school Dungeon Synth, of which the latter serves as the album’s calm closure.

If there’s one word which characterizes this album the best, it’s hope. This is in large part thanks to the vibrant piano and the warmth of the brass instruments. Nameless King is exceptionally gifted as a musician and producer (every instrument is perfectly attuned), and understands the conceptual need for balance between light and darkness extraordinarily well. Moonlight Heretics is a triumph, and proves to be his best release so far, in my opinion. I hope it may serve as a ray of positivity in troubled times such as those we currently live in.

Fenix Silvermoon approves, and declares: