Even amid all of the metallic destruction that takes up our listening time every week, there needs to be time to pull back and let our brains have some peace. That doesn’t necessarily mean loud noises must be banished, as they can be very helpful, but there can be a chance to let your blood reoxygenate as you try to find calmer waters.

One-person black metal project Isleptonthemoon feels like the sweet spot between heaviness and reflection. The band’s new record “Only the Stars Know My Misfortune” has found a perfect home on the Bindrune roster, slipping alongside their slate of atmospheric black metal releases but also adding more on the sensitive side. That doesn’t necessarily mean overly emotional; it’s just the music touches on every sense, always coating the discovery with a fresh coat of metallic majesty for good measure. It’s a good soundtrack for checking in with oneself, which is something we should do more often.

“Safety” dawns calmly as acoustics wash over, soft singing guiding as the momentum builds, and then shrieks explode, heading into hyper-melodic territory. The pace thrashes, keys plinking like ice droplets, a gushing power eventually cascading and washing away. “Dimming Light” opens in a deep freeze, shrieks powering, spacious melodies embracing you as a crushing power washes over. Melodies explode as a driving power merges with a synth bath, engorging as things get even colder, scraping into the moonlight. “Maybe I Don’t Know It Yet, But Good Things Are Coming Soon” enters amid synth and acoustics, softer singing soothing, dreamy tones slowly unfurling. Speaking flutters before everything blasts apart, flooding with gazey energy, bubbling over before serenity reemerges and is absorbed into the ground.

“I Belong to the Void” lets guitars waft slowly, softly, yet immersively. Shrieks scathe as the guitars flow, quick whispers escalate and flutter in the atmosphere, while things gradually grow more frantic, keys glimmering before a frosty fade. “Like Dying” has the words drizzling, then a more propulsive power generating, the gazey cover grinding and ending in a gradually encompassing fire. Howls echo in the distance, and calmer singing then emerges, pianos glazing over a delicate finish. Closer “Keep Hidden” basks in keys, the singing feeling calmer and pillowy, but not to be denied are the frigid shrieks that reach around each corner. There’s a sense of vulnerability as strings swirl, lush melodies spreading, the feeling of isolation creeping into your bones, all gathering energies fading to dark mysteries.

“Only the Stars Know My Misfortune” is a record that balances light and dark tones nicely, but at the heart of this album is the emotion, loneliness, and desperation that don’t need decibels to be impactful. Isleptonthemoon might not be exactly what you need when adrenaline is soaring or if you want to smash something, but it’s ideal for contemplation with an edge, a bloodletting that needs some jabs in between reflection. This is perfect music for the shorter days upon us, when the light is at its least generous, and needing a hiding place to retreat from trauma feels like the most vital part of existence.

For more on the band, go here: https://isleptonthemoon.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://shop.bindrunerecordings.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/bindrunerecordings/