PATHWAY TO THE MOON (ASH GREY MARBLED VINYL) | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Unreqvited, UNREQVITED mastermind 鬼 (Ghost) has a penchant for beautiful musical creations that reveal their claws and fangs only at closer inspection after spending some time on them. This solo project is firmly rooted in blackgaze sonic soil but has also sent out tendrils into ambient, post-rock, post-black metal, and other related stylistic strata. The seventh album, "A Pathway to the Moon", is taking an impressive evolutionary leap. One element of this significant sonic development of UNREQVITED is the novel exploration into a predominantly lyrical realm. This step away from mostly expansive soundscapes towards more singing is also due to the transition of UNREQVITED into a touring band. 鬼 carefully crafted "A Pathway to the Moon" with live performances in his mind. The result is an album that resembles a blackgaze soundtrack - a legacy further underlined by the artbook bonus track, which features a cover of the Hans Zimmer "Interstellar" composition 'Cornfield Chase'. Despite the divergence into more lyrical dimensions, "A Pathway to the Moon" keeps the use of lighter and more uplifting passages that were increasingly employed among the expected dark twists on "Beautiful Ghosts" (2021). The significant use of clean vocals throughout the album turns out in hindsight as writing on the wall about developments to come. The core elements that have shaped UNREQVITED in the past remain in active service as well: Thus, the massive anthemic refrains from "Mosaic I: l'amour et l'ardeur" (2018) are equally present as the simple melancholic melodies from the 2016 debut album "Disquiet" and the orchestral grandeur of "Empathica" (2020). Ever since 鬼 conceived UNREQVITED as the musical vehicle for his multi-faceted creative output and brought it to light in 2016, his project has been a constantly shape-shifting and stylistically wide roaming beast. With "A Pathway to the Moon", the Canadian has once again gathered the strands of his previous works but he has also taken a creative leap of faith. "A Pathway to the Moon" takes UNREQVITED closer to a traditional rock and metal album based on songs than ever before - yet it is also the soundtrack of a most fascinating sonic journey.