Back in 2016, Raleigh-based black metal project Mo’ynoq released their debut demo Anguish & Atonement. The cassette commenced with the sounds of midnight woodlands, soon shattered by an icy blast of distortion. The band since sharpened their balance of introspective songwriting and blistering blackness on their Bardo EP and their debut LP, Dreaming in a Dead Language. Their sophomore full-length A Place For Ash rose from the cinders last month as their most focused and ferocious album yet. Today Decibel Magazine shares the music video for their standout track “Throes of Ardent Disposition” from Mo’ynoq’s most recent release.
As the video unfolds in stunningly detailed grayscale, the six minute track seems to propel the central character through subterranean tunnels. The song’s scintillating thrust feels like a dark companion as we explore mysterious alchemy and abandoned rooms. Like black metal masters Wolves in the Throne Room and Altar of Plagues, Mo’ynoq’s compositions stray toward the light instead of away from it. The video’s final unseen act of immolation is a fitting conclusion that carries bittersweet thematic heft.
“”Throes of Ardent Disposition” is a song about personal growth and the difficulty of not just living with grief, but overcoming it on the way to something greater,” the band explains. “It feels natural to dwell on negative emotions, but one can’t move forward without first processing and excising the malignancies that hold them back.”
Mo’ynoq’s production partners The C.O.I.N. add, “We aimed to capture a pioneer’s journey through a rotten, crumbling mass with a tumor enveloping its heart. We thought the setting itself as a character, an embodiment of our collective disregard. Combining high resolution cameras with vintage lenses from the ’70s gave us a visual style full of character and depth; a far cry from the pixel-perfect sterility we have grown so accustomed to.”
Confront the darkness and press play below.
Listen to A Place For Ash on Bandcamp HERE
Follow Mo’ynoq on Facebook for news and updates HERE
