Review by Jeger on November 2, 2026.

The very idea of Black Metal from Los Angeles, California does not sit well with me… Is there a Mariachi involved? Some crazy, shitting themselves homeless bums? How about a random out-of-work Actor who was popular in the '90's? Anyway… There are no frigid landscapes to explore, nor an Ancient Monolith to awe, but that is not to say that there aren't a few Souls out there who stand convicted under the Sign of the Black Mark, whose Souls are ignited by the Black Flame! And whose understanding of BM/BM culture are both of staunch credibility. Enter The Mosaic Window - a Melodic Black Metal project solely driven by one Andrew Steven Brown who happens to have put together an impressive discography since the project's inception during the plague days of 2020. A lost art Melodic BM has become. There are plenty of bands out there who are embracing this style of play, but seemingly without any real understanding of the spirit behind the music: Nodtvëidt and Dissection's first two LPs, Sacramentum and "Far Away from the Sun", Dawn and "Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triarchy). It's very much a '90's thing...

Andrew gets it, and on November 13, The Mosaic Window will unveil its third LP, "Answered Prayers", via Vesperian / Metal Blade Records - a volume of the triumphant variety. High energy and a sense of adventure to accompany tracks like "The Fog Carries Plague" - an aggressive yet haunting piece that rushes you through gauntlets of blast-beats and dual-harmony guitar onslaughts one minute and dropping the tempo the next; allowing for every phase of the music to work on you like some kind of Melodic BM massage… The most savory melodies, but also the most militantly machine-like rhythms and the atmosphere! Striking up imagery of cold Wastelands and abandoned Cities, of untamed, stormy Mountain Tops and lightning-riddled skies. And just like that, I've forgotten about LA… Fucking epic…

Following "The Fog Carries Plague", you'll take in the DM-worshipping "Serpentine" to the cacophony of heavy grinds and crushing bass lines, destructive beats and sinister vocals. What an accomplishment! The many layers, the harmony and of course the melody of it all are ensconced in production value of the finest quality. Mixing this thing must have been a challenge but alas, a stellar final product. Andrew proving through the regal of soaring guitar parts and finesse percussion to be an erstwhile Artist indeed as we go deeper into the experience with the majestic "Lightning Be Thy Guide", as it unfolds to lighter, airier tones that radiate as opposed to penetrating deep like the previous tracks. A nice balance of the Olde Guard '90's spirit and contemporary dynamics as well.

Black Metal that you could make a living creating… I despise Dark Funeral and once any Black Metal band outside of Marduk or Watain decides to go Mainstream, that band becomes dead to me. I don't necessarily get the whole sanitized Mainstream impression here though, just bonafide Black Metal created by a very talented individual with what sounds like some pro-level equipment and driven by the true essence of what I described earlier as a lost art.

It literally sounds like six or seven band members playing… "Unsheathing The Fall Of Man" sounds like a tip of the cap to Finland's Warmoon Lord with its one brief but immersive cinematic part and then it's back into the proverbial action, back into the game, the puke 'n rally! Already stuffed and meat drunk from all this rich and artery packing Black Metal, we take the dagger in "Devotion To My Burning Desire" - a riffed out banger for lack of a more fitting expression. Chugs and grooves! Slapping rhythms and then things get dramatic… Nightmarish even and it doesn't sit well, but in the best way possible. Pitch black and heavy as fuck. Hell of a closer.

As the Underground is overrun with early '90's-trapped copycats, Artists like Andrew just blow the doors off the fucker with pure Melodic Black Metal, bordering on Gates of Ishtar-level ingenuity and swagger. BM for any fan. I can be pretty stubborn in regard to Genre purity, but I also know great Black Metal, great music when I hear it and so it will not be denied… With "Answered Prayers", The Mosaic Window swings wide! Fresh gusts of sinus-cleansing, soul-purifying Black Metal blow on through. Dig it…

Rating: 9 out of 10