Hexvessel – Polar Veil

Written by on 07-01-2024 at 21:49.

On its sixth album Hexvessel once again proves it is a band with many faces. Whereas in the past the forest paths of neofolk and psychedelics were followed, the harsh winds of black metal are blowing on Polar Veil.

The album opens with The Tundra Is Awake. We hear a muffled black metal riff over which singer Kvohst lays his clean, somewhat esoteric vocals, like a shaman performing a long-forgotten ritual. The drumbeat sounds like a downtempo march with the ghostly keyboard tones floating steadily behind it. This stealthy course continues on Older Than The Gods. Mysterious song titles like these could already be found on previous albums such as Kindred and Dawnbearer. The subtle counter-singing that can sometimes be heard gives the impression of being present at a rite of an unknown religion. The lamentation in Kvohst’s voice finds its equally sad echo in the guitar melody. Every note and every melody line seems to fall exactly into place. Phenomenal.

The enigmatic album cover paints a picture of a remote Scandinavian village where people have to hide indoors in winter to be safe from the forest and river spirits that prowl the streets, provoking and plundering. If we consult the oracles of Hexvessel to help us survive these bitterly bleak times, the advice is to “Listen to the River”. We’ll just have to deal with that. Another option is to venture across to the ‘new’ world and produce icy esoteric sounds in a cabin in Montana. This is exactly what Hexvessel has done. On A Cabin in Montana we hear an icy black metal riff over which Kvosht’s dreamy vocals are floating once again. It is this rugged enigma of black metal fused with folk occultism that Hexvessel excels at.

During the intro of Eternal Meadow it suddenly seems as if another album is playing. The folk influences of the previous songs have made way for some volatile black metal stomping. Kvohst’s vocals resemble more of what he sounds like in his other band, Grave Pleasures, who also released a new album during 2023. On Crepuscular Creatures the pace is slowed down again. The song creeps along like a wolf in the winter night. The guitars float in the echo and the drums sound like the heartbeat of the wolf with piercing eyes, ready to strike from the darkness on its unsuspecting prey.

The album Polar Veil continues to surprise and vary without falling into repetition. The only exception are the riffs in the outro of Ring, which are put on repeat a little too often. On the last song of this album (Homeward Polar Spirit) we get some more black metal chaos. The dreamy and occult characteristics that the album is so rich in, are not forgotten here. Especially during the second half of the song we can doze off for a while on the icy plains of the Finnish (or American?) natural world.

Hexvessel has once again managed to produce a fantastic album with Polar Veil. The ideal fusion between occult folk and black metal. Guaranteed year list material.

Score:

95/100

Label:

Svart Records, 2023

Tracklisting:

  1. The Tundra Is Awake
  2. Listen to the River
  3. A Cabin in Montana
  4. Eternal Meadow
  5. Crepuscular Creatures
  6. Ring
  7. Homeward Polar Spirit

Line-up:

  • Mathew “Kvohst” McNerney – Vocals, guitars
  • Kimmo Helén – Keyboard
  • Ville Hakonen – Bass guitar
  • Jukka Rämänen – Drums

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