The 16th album from French black-metal fixtures Blut aus Nord sees guitarist, vocalist, and mastermind Vindsval spinning a heavily layered musical web with melodic guitars, cosmic synths, and Lovecraftian atmosphere. The result is a rich epic in seven parts, from the post-rock transcendence of opener “Shadows Breathe First” to the skyscraping triumph of closer “The End Becomes Grace.” Along the way, the alternately soaring and tortured vocal lines of “The Ordeal,” the frenzied tremolo picking of “The Fall Opens the Sky,” and the oceanic momentum of “What Burns Now Listens” elevate Ethereal Horizons to the level of fan favorites Hallucinogen (2019) and Disharmonium – Undreamable Abysses (2022).