The Mosaic Window - Hemasanctum

The Mosaic Window is a one man black metal band from California, who formed in 2021. The project's latest release, “Hemasanctum,” is its second full-length album; an EP has also been released. 

Although I didn’t review it, I did enjoy last year's “Plight of Acceptance.”  “Hemasanctum” is a step up in every way and solidifies Andrew as a force to be reckoned with in black metal.  Although there was nothing wrong with the programmed drums from the previous album, having a live drummer this time around makes all the difference in the world.  Gabe Seeber (Vale of Pnath, The Kennedy Veil) adds a robust and hefty weight to the album, even when its at its most melodic moments. 

Of course, it doesn’t hurt with all the death metal elements the album has to offer as well.  Combining melodic black metal captures the speed and energy the genre is known for while pulling on the heartstrings (more on that later) but death metal adds an extra layer of sonic pervasiveness that cannot be denied.    

Andrew formed the idea of The Mosaic Window after the passing of his father and grandmother during the pandemic.  As an outlet of such grief, the project was already built upon very emotional foundations.  With “Hemasanctum,” he further explores dark topics that we so often avoid—mental health, self-awareness, religion.  These subjects, according to his bandcamp page, are the meat of the album with the first song being about birth and the last one being about death. 

The result is an album that is highly emotional with an atmosphere born of melancholy and tragic situations.  As I mentioned, this album tugs on the heart because, well, it comes from the heart.  Black and death metal are so often seen as being extreme for the sake of it but that extremity can be used for cathartic purposes as well.

Despite the subject matter, this album is catchy—I mean, absolutely gripping.  Every song has a wow moment and is stuffed full of hooks that will grab and never let go.  I love this because it doesn’t shy away from the bad things in life—rather it uses music to embrace them because, well, these things can’t be avoided so why try?

“Incantation to Summon the Unstable,” opens the album with the sounds of a child crying, the birth if you will.  The music that follows is an aggressive, fast paced tempo with blackened screams and death growls riding on of these seismic waves.  This song is an explosion and the best way to introduce the listener to the album.  Near the end, a catchy groove and solo pushes the song to even greater heights, as the intensity ramps up.  The song boils itself back to a slower tempo briefly before rising to the top once more.  The ebb and flow is smooth as hell even though it’s extreme as hell—and this fits the album as a whole too. 

Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) provides some lead guitar for the second song, “The Pounding of Hooves,” and it lends the song a classic feel to it in places.  The cadence of the vocals, especially the parts that are layered, are yet another example of how the album so easily sticks in the head.  I love the subtle melodies between the verses too, just the right amount to make the track that much more memorable.  The later half of the song is my favorite part—the dense, hypnotic riffs and the pulsing of the drums just sent me into a headbanging zone of which there is no escape–and no desire to do so.

Andy makes another appearance on “Turibulum” and it’s one of the best songs on the album too.  The opening solo is tragically beautiful but also composed so well that I had to rewind the song to hear it over and over again.   But just as infectious are the riffs that arrive after–expertly balanced between melody and destructive qualities.  A thrashy feel makes an appearance just before the solo at the halfway mark—outstanding moment!  

Another personal favorite is “Night Disease.” I just love how it begins with boundless energy peppered with sorrow but then slows down to a doomish rhythm.  The slower approach lets the atmosphere sink into the very fibers of the emotions it emits. The rest of the song switches back and forth between the tempos–it’s a harrowing experience with a natural flow.

“Hymn to Silence the Light,” is both a beauteous and despondent song.  It ends the album perfectly, the death here to compliment the birth of life to bring the album back full circle to the beginning.  That’s real life because one cannot exist without the other and the song embraces that hard truth.  The middle part goes from urgent to bulldozer, all the while peppering the liminal spaces with atmosphere.  

The Mosaic Window’s “Hemasanctum,” is the next logical step for the project and shows the power of using metal to help convey thoughts and emotions that some feel are better left unsaid.  But facing of these uncomfortable subjects and realizations makes for a highly engaging and thoughtful album that has a maturity that isn't common in the genre.