Although Fields of the Nephilim has existed for more than 20 years, Mourning Sun is only the band's fourth full-length studio album. Fields of the Nephilim has shrunk to only the single person outfit of mastermind Carl McCoy, who was left in solitude to create what he knows best: an occult piece of dark / Gothic rock loaded with electronic influences.

Mourning Sun is McCoy's rather successful effort of mixing rough-edged, metal-influenced dark rock and the more laid-back "classic" and melodic Gothic rock into a single, coherent and a flowing, seamless album that would satisfy the hard rock and the dark rock fans alike with silky, smooth, semi-pompous, sad melodies and more harsh, guitars and throaty vocals driven pieces that blend well and compliment each other. McCoy's vocals are excellent, dominant and powerful, chameleon -like, almost schizophrenic, constantly changing in character and pitch, at times low and raspy, at other times smooth and silky, always fitting the music they accompany, never an embarrassment to themselves or an obstacle to the sounds that encompass…

The structure of the album is in the form of a musical plot, an epic, that slowly builds-up towards a final climax, and when the final sounds die off, the listener is left with a strong impression a story has been told here: a narrative of sorts that in a way returns to haunt with its curiosities and details, what eventually awakens in the listener the curiosity and the will to indulge in the album's texts that were – in this case – unfortunately, absent…

The crisp, perfect production only helps elevate the abundance of elements, sounds and nuances the recording overflows with, resulting in a rewarding, accessible listening experience for this unique, profound and original-sounding album that will likely appeal to any dark music fan. (7/10)