Review: Unreqvited – A Pathway To The Moon

January 24, 2025

Blackgaze side of the moon.

(This review was written by Stevo)

Since 2016, Canadian one-man Blackgaze outlet, Unreqvited has developed its own spin on the Blackgaze sound, having spanned 6 albums in 9 years as well as several splits with the likes of Asunojokei, Sylvaine, and Sadness. Helmed by a man whose persona is known as 鬼, Unreqvited reflects his take on Blackgaze while incorporating. elements from other genres such as Ambient, Post- Rock, Post-Black Metal and Atmospheric Black Metal.

While this is probably the longest gap in between album releases (and that’s without counting their EP and Split with Sadness released in 2022), I came from listening to Unreqvited’s latest effort A Pathway to the Moon with mixed feelings. The album begins with an orchestral piano intro track in “Overture | Disintegrate”. The track is also the introduction of clean singing in Unreqvited’s sound. Personally, I wasn’t fond of this as it felt like the execution of the singing sounds like something I’d expect to hear from a band like Sleep Token and doesn’t fit Unreqvited. This will become more of a factor as the
album progresses on.

More of the familiar sound that you will know with this band begins at the start of the second track, “The Antimatter”. The following track, “The Starforger” displays the best of the melodies that Unreqvited thrives in instrumentally which makes for a lovely atmospheric and spacious journey. This is also helped with the increased use of the orchestration from their last two albums. In addition, there’s a more celestial sense to the sound in a similar vein to Mesarthim.

However, the momentum from this can end up feeling halted by the clean singing sections like in “The Antimatter”. You just wait until it gets back to the heavier aspect of which Unreqvited thrives in. This style is also present in “The Starforger”, but the strength in the guitar melodies/heavier sections on that track just outweighs the singing that it’s not as irritating. Much like the melodies, the guitar solos in this album does a good job in adding an extra spice to the album.

The other change in this album is the introduction to lyrics as their previous albums while had vocals were more screeches ala Ghost Bath before Self Loather. While this is the first album to introduce this, 鬼 started using lyrics in the track on their 2022 Split (and EP) with Sadness, “Perpetual Green of the Willow Groves”. This new addition was more welcome for me as it doesn’t affect the sound.

While I have mentioned before that I’m not fond of the clean singing that felt like it dragged the album down for me, I didn’t mind them while it’s more in a type of manner like what Neige does in Alcest. A great example of this is shown in the beginning of “Void Essence / Frozen Tears” which is probably my favorite track of the album which is another demonstration of how well 鬼 blends in between the somber and heavier melodic sections into a well-made 9-minute track that doesn’t outstay its welcome despite the length of track. “Into the Starlit Beyond” continues this as well but doesn’t feel as memorable as the previous track.

Like previous releases, “A Pathway to the Moon” also features instrumentals. This album finishes on two instrumental tracks, but both tracks’ lengths altogether come to 7 and a half minute. Thankfully, this doesn’t feel overdone here, but doesn’t feel necessary either. One track is a two-minute interlude in “Celestial Sleep” that’s like a dreamy acoustic passage as you’re descending towards the end of an
atmospheric and celestial journey. The album’s closing track, “Departure – Everlasting Dream” does finish the album on a high note.

Overall, A Pathway to the Moon does a good job in its atmospheric and dreamy journey
through Unreqvited’s melodic instrumental work. However, the glaring downside has been its experimental approach to the vocal style. It wasn’t a bad idea, but the execution overall does not work. This left me feeling disappointed in Unreqvited’s seventh full-length effort and probably one of their weakest albums since Mosaic II.

Unreqvited’s A Pathway to the Moon receives