How on earth did I miss out on Moloch? I ask this question because of my intense interest in solitary black metal. I find the style interesting because if left up to ones devices, certain individuals will run so much further than with others with assistance. Moloch was created 10 years ago and has had 11 full lengths, 8 demos, 36 splits, 10 splits and a handful of compilations and box sets. This is addition to a bevy of guest sessions and cover design for European metal bands. Moloch is a machine and Verwüstung is the 12th full length from a creator who seems to need little sleep.

If I sound at all infatuated with Moloch it is only because one maned metal has a charming aesthetic. The themes of existential lamenting and isolationism shines in bedroom productions. Albums become lone artworks from a sole creators and the works themselves come threaded with catharsis and individual expression rather than collective compromise. While I am not disparaging full band black metal, there is something romantic about one man black metal which allows it to transcend above its technical shortcomings. Moloch’s tortured existence in both vocals and instrumentation lurches over the listener begging the audience to run away to complete ruin. Moloch fits the loathsome aesthetic perfect and Verwüstung is another notch in the creator’s ever growing bullet belt.

If one has signed up for more than 40 minutes of lashing black metal, then Verwüstung should not be disappointing. Over the course of the last decade, Moloch has blossomed out of a weird dark ambiance to well structured black metal act which retains the damp chill of experimentation. Songs like “Negativität” sees the artist making solid black metal which toes the line between focus and utter abandon. The strength is in Fjordsson’s voice which toggles in and out of control as if caught between victim and instigator. There is an intimate horror taking place which Moloch crafts artfully. Verwüstung is an ambitious plunge into depths a person can uncover when left alone.