VIAMAER – In lumine lunae
Release Date: 29th January 2026
Label: Self Released
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Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal, Shoegaze.
FFO: Alcest, Deafheaven, Lantlôs, Myktalgia.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
VIAMAER’s In lumine lunae unfolds like a slow exhalation under moonlight, an album that leans into atmospheric black metal’s introspective tendencies while carving out its own emotional terrain. This Polish project builds its world through contrast: gentleness pressed against abrasion, melody suspended over turmoil, and a persistent sense of melancholy that never fully resolves. Artist Krystian Jurkiewicz toiled for two years to bring forth this emotive work. He defines the project as follows: “Musica vitae meae pars est, affectus autem ea sunt quae narro” which translates to “Music is part of my life, and emotions are what I narrate.”
The opening track sets the tone with disarming softness. Melodic, airy guitar lines drift with lullaby‑like fragility before being ruptured by harsh screams and restrained black metal riffing. The pacing remains deliberate, as if Jurkiewicz is more interested in tension than velocity. This push‑and‑pull between delicacy and harshness becomes the album’s defining characteristic. At times, the vocals and instrumentation seem to inhabit different emotional climates, creating a subtle dissonance; yet the pieces interlock in a way that feels intentional, almost architectural. The Polish‑language vocals deepen the album’s sense of distance and longing. Their emotional clarity transcends literal meaning, carrying a beautiful sadness that lingers even when the words themselves remain opaque. Dimensio mortis, the instrumental midpoint, slows the album’s pulse further. Its gradual swell showcases VIAMAER’s patience, allowing the atmosphere to accumulate like fog rather than forcing momentum. Liberum arbitrium emerges as the album’s most dynamic moment. Shifts in guitar tone, hazy vocals submerged beneath the mix, and fleeting bursts of blast beats and tremolo picking anchor the track in black metal tradition while still honoring the project’s atmospheric leanings. It feels like a small storm contained within the album’s broader stillness.
In lumine lunae succeeds not through extremity, but through mood. VIAMAER crafts a soundscape that feels expansive yet intimate, using contrast as its primary expressive tool. The result is an album that invites immersion — a quiet, moonlit descent that rewards listeners willing to sit with its shadows.
(4.5 / 5)
