Midnight Odyssey – Biolume Part 3 – A Fullmoon Madness (Review)

This is the eighth album from Australian one-man black metal act Midnight Odyssey.

Here it is, the one we’ve all been waiting for – the third and final part of the Biolume trilogy. Emerging from the long, deep shadows of 2015’s Shards of Silver Fade, 2019’s Biolume Part 1 – In Tartarean Chains, and 2021’s Biolume Part 2 – The Golden Orb, how can Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness possibly compare? After all, all three of the aforementioned releases either made it into my end of year list in the top five, (here), or the coveted top spot, (here and here). How does this one one fare?

Wonderfully, albeit differently. Let’s take a closer look.

The previous two instalments of this trilogy have hardly been short affairs, but Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness clocks in at a ridiculous 125 minutes, which at least hints at the epic scope of the music within. Midnight Odyssey’s output is resolutely not for everyone, especially in these low-attention times, but if you have the patience and tastes to explore what this artist has unleashed in 2023, then you’re in for an exceptional experience.

Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness draws together all of the aspects of Midnight Odyssey’s albums that I’ve reviewed previously, as well as some reaching back further, to provide a vast feast of mood-focused black metal. It’s a colossal collection of lengthy tracks that showcase the artist’s vision of immersive atmospheric black metal, along with touches of epic doom metal. Swathed in layers of ambient depth and symphonic emotion, every part of Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness drips with affecting appeal, albeit frequently in a more direct fashion than, say, its predecessor.

Yes, despite its rich, luscious nature, this new album has its own character. It’s the darkest and most aggressive of the three, fusing these blackened elements deeply into the shimmering resplendence of the synth-driven foundations. The black metal is much more apparent on this one, recalling the early work of acts like Emperor, Limbonic Art, Satyricon, Arcturus, and Dimmu Borgir, only with a trademark Midnight Odyssey twist, of course; an infernal majesty given a cosmic overhaul and bent to the service of the moon.

Biolume Part 3: A Fullmoon Madness reflects a deeper shade of colour than we’ve seen before, revealing Midnight Odyssey in a different light. All of the familiar ingredients are here, spanning the project’s existence, but given new darkly vibrant life via a moonlight spotlight that’s gloomily illuminating.

This is a captivating and absorbing album, full of treasures and hidden gems to explore and obsess over. Its sheer length is imposing, but see beyond that and the artist behind Midnight Odyssey has once more crafted an individual and richly atmospheric work, only this time it has more of a blackened bite than ever.

As always, this is essential listening. Any fan of highly atmospheric black metal should surely spend a lot of time with this.