The Mosaic Window – Hemasanctum Review

I wouldn’t say I like the thought of repeating cliches or reiterating cringy anecdotes, but I must state that the notion that music is therapeutic will forever ring true. Now, in my 30s, it still sits beside me in my darkest and brightest. From love to loss, it echoes within arm’s reach.

Last year, The Mosaic Window’s Plight of Acceptance sat near the top of my year-end list. It’s a relatively new endeavor based out of Los Angeles, California, from the mind of Andrew Steven Brown. Brown has let it be known that the idea for The Mosaic Window came together after the unexpected death of his father and grandmother during the pandemic.

Here’s how I’ve explained the project in the past: At its core, The Mosaic Window is a melodic black/death metal project, but it also allows Brown to bleed his traumas and emotions. There is a sense of mourning he’s able to create that, for me, was unmatched last year. The raw emotion is so palpable that the metaphorical haunting and horrors discussed on the album seem existent, but maybe that’s because they do, in fact, exist. Plight of Acceptance is filled with incredible guitar work and song construction, and again, there’s a particular spectral atmosphere to this record. And still, to this day, I have trouble explaining it and doing it justice. But for me, a few things are at least for sure: with each melancholic riff and scream into nothingness, Brown created a eulogy for those lost and one of last year’s most vital records—so much so that it caught the attention of the renowned Willowtip Records, who re-released Plight… in November 2023. Nearly a year after that, Brown has returned with his second Willowtip release, Hemasanctum, a brilliant follow-up and an affirmation that more demons remain to be exercised. 

Much like Plight of Acceptance, Hemasanctum is concept record that explores topics that span the darker side of human existence, this time between birth and death—grief, mental health, self-awareness and religion. Again, Brown creates a tangible sonic, emotional and non-linear journey. It was intentionally made to mimic the unexpected nature of life itself.

Brown has a knack for creating hypnotic, addicting melodies that are nearly impossible to shake. Not that it came as a surprise based on my admiration for his first LP, but his ability to sink listeners into these earworm moments is reminiscent of the 90s Swedish death and black metal scenes. You’ll hear influences from legendary outfits like Dissection on songs like “Black Bethlehem” that may or may not have been conjured up after a binge of The Somberlain. The tremolo riffing is incredibly articulate, allowing these melodic walls of sound to blur the lines between beauty and grotesqueness. There’s some not-so-subtle Norwegian influence, too, featuring some awesome Gorgoroth worship.

The more theatrical moments on a track like “The Pounding of Hooves” outline Brown’s regard for the legendary King Diamond. While he isn’t belting out falsettos or working around the classic heavy metal riffs, the emphasis on the crescendo of guitar work is undoubtedly indicative of the unholy quintet’s late ’80s era, which is why it makes all the much more sense that it culminates in a guest solo from none other than King Diamond’s Andy freakin’ LaRocque. Vocally, Brown offers a distinctive shriek layered over spoken word passages in “The Pounding of Hooves“ and throughout the record, which acts almost as a narrator to the story arc.

Brown does a beautiful job of pacing the album as well. “Turibulum,” “Ash Like Anvils,” and “Night Disease“ shine a burning light on how well Brown incorporates various forms of heavy music history. Throughout this trifecta, listeners will appreciate the more death-doom moments on “Ash Like Anvils“ before an onslaught of thrashier gallops, the tremendous lead-playing on “Turibulum“ (featuring another LaRocque solo) and the guttural nature of “Night Disease.”

Brown saves his best performance for the finale with “Hymn to Silence the Night.” It’s eight minutes of throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the listener, and while that might seem like a recipe for an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, it weaves seamlessly between tempo changes and atmospheres. If this truly is the soundtrack to death, it’s quite the triumphant sendoff—a hero’s demise, if you will. The mixing from Horrendous’ Damian Herring allows each guitar layer to be heard clearly, and if I haven’t gotten it across to you yet, this song is Exhibit A of Brown’s riff prowess.

Hemasanctum is a brilliant follow-up to one of my favorite records from the last few years. The kicker here is that Brown stepped it up a notch for LP No. 2. Musically and emotionally, from start to finish, it holds the gravitational wrench of a black hole. The tunes pull at each fiber of your being. The Mosaic Window isn’t simply a project you should delve into; it’s a project you must. And once you do, there is no escaping.