Artist: Twilight Stronghold
Country: France
Label: The Weeping Kingdom
Formats: Cassette EP
Year: 2026
Although Twilight Stronghold released their first demo back in 2021, followed by three split releases and a compilation featuring those tracks, I can imagine that for many, the band is still new. All of the previous releases can be described as rather obscure and were released in small numbers via equally obscure labels. The split releases, on the other hand, including those with Erythrite Throne and the Canadian band Mandragora (featuring J.M. from Starcave Nebula, Nefarious Scorn and others), do suggest that Twilight Stronghold cannot be just any band. The person behind Twilight Stronghold is also someone who has already earned her spurs with an impressive list of other bands and projects.
Just as with the bands mentioned above, Vöghräth’s other musical outlets are obscure and find a following particularly amongst the younger generation of Black Metal fans. Which is a shame in itself, because Vöghräth (Lila Chupin) has proven time and again that she knows how to play quality Black Metal, and does so with an old-school authenticity. Further evidence of this is her small label, Starless Music/Starless Industries, through which she releases cassette tapes in limited editions that are then distributed within close-knit circles. However, if you’ve happened to be reading along on these pages, you may have noticed that I’ve previously been drawn to Lila Chupin’s work in, for example, Crève-Gorge and Night’s Embrace.
With Twilight Stronghold, this young lady from France once again delivers a more than solid piece of work. The only thing one might note is that, across the entire spectrum of her creative output, the music doesn’t differ all that much from one another, so you might well wonder why she feels the need to launch 10+ projects. However, if that’s not something that bothers you, then you can really just take a blind leap of faith with whatever she releases. Twilight Stronghold is once again a fine blend of what you might call classic Raw Black Metal, featuring plenty of atmospheric elements and a solid foundation of Dungeon Synth, giving it a somewhat medieval feel. Yet it never really lapses into overly predictable clichés, and Lila Chupin manages to keep her music engaging with plenty of tempo changes and, above all, catchy melodies. Moreover, the repetitive riffs are strong enough to carry the whole thing and keep the listener hooked.
In a relatively short space of time, this lady has built up an impressive body of work, without seeking the limelight and whilst remaining steadfastly true to her vision of black metal. ‘The Heights Of Dreams’ is an EP that is sure to appeal to fans of the somewhat rawer side of black metal that leans more towards the melodic and melancholic. The use of keyboards here not only enhances the atmosphere of the music but will also ensure that fans of, for example, the earlier work of Obtained Enslavement, Alghazanth and Twin Obscenity will find this to their liking.
