Hexvessel – Polar Veil
Hexvessel – Polar Veil
Svart Records
Release Date: 22/09/2023
Running Time: 43:00
Review by Rory Bentley
9/10
Normally when I put a Hexvessel album on I expect to be taken on a psychedelic journey through the woods like I’ve eaten a mushroom I shouldn’t have and now all the fairies and goblins have brought their weird hand-carved instruments into the stone circle I’ve woken up in and they want to have a jam and smoke tome Old Toby. Maybe that’s just me. Nonetheless, the Finnish Occult-Rockers have carved out a fine career for themselves as the band most likely to play you a guitar solo through a vintage amp whilst sitting on a toadstool on a lovely spring afternoon. If you’re familiar with the band’s work this analogy won’t seem as mental as I’m making it sound. All this is by way of stating that on “Polar Veil” the band have made a massive departure and I’m totally here for it!
I got this album through in July, normally the perfect time to digest a Hexvessel album, sat outside with a cold beverage on a balmy summer night with nothing but Psyche Rock and the chattering of birds and squirrels in the trees for company. This album, however, felt massively out of step with the season. Singer Kvohst and the gang have recorded a record full of the bitter chill and howling winds of winter while taking an unlikely but utterly fantastic journey into Black Metal. Just don’t be expecting any goat sacrifice or church burning, as ever Hexvessel put their own weird spin on things.
One is immediately struck by the desolate, frozen canvas of sound that forms ‘The Tundra is Awake’ which conjures the image of wading through thick snow as a wailing blizzard turns your weary bones to ice. Layer upon layer of tremolo guitars and angular chords provide the backdrop for the almost chant-like clean vocals from Kvohst. There is no attempt to incorporate gurgling harsh vocals, however the spirit of classic Immortal records is very much present here, like Abbath decided to drop acid and listen to more Hawkwind.
‘Older Than the Gods’ forges further into the heart of winter with the sound of freezing winds giving way to choral chanting tinged with grandeur and melancholy. It really is an outstanding mood piece that transitions beautifully into mournful verses that conjure fellow countrymen Wintersun minus the histrionics and fan-funded sauna. As the sun here in good old Leicester is still making frequent appearances at the arse end of summer, I get the feeling I’m yet to get the full impact of the song. Magnificent and evocative though it is, once the dark nights set in and my criminally underused tiki bar starts gathering frost, I think this one will hit in a big way.
After more arctic grandeur on the hypnotic dirge of ‘Listen To The River’, the band serves up the most conventionally structured composition on the record in the form of ‘A Cabin in Montana’, however this is not a catchy little ditty. The song is in many ways the most harrowing and downright creepy of the lot, with the primary character seemingly succumbing to isolation and the throes of madness as the blizzard rages outside a desolate cabin. The spidery arpeggios that kick things off are the stuff of the grisliest folk horror movies and the cracked and unhinged baritone croon employed throughout feels like Nick Cave at his most visceral. The bug-eyed Psychedelic Pop continues on ‘Eternal Meadow’ as it is welded onto a body constructed of pure, ripping Darkthrone-worship, lo-fi yet crisp and impactful it is another triumph.
The final three tracks somehow manage to up the ante on the unsettling end of things. ‘Crepuscular Creatures’ conjures images of dangerous beasts outside (or the prospect of my cat bringing me another dead mouse when I can’t get her to come in at night) and ‘Ring’ has a sinister undercurrent of malevolent, lurking horror waiting in the snow for another poor victim. All of them are consistent with the record’s emphasis on creating a vibe rather than traditional songs per se, although the band are also excellent at this aspect. The highest compliment I can pay to the “Polar Veil” is that it feels like the soundtrack to a Robert Eggers film that’s yet to be made, with all the unbearable lurking terror of The Witch and the isolated cabin-fever insanity of the lighthouse mixed with an ethereal, frozen menace.
Winter is coming and Hexvessel have got the perfect soundtrack. Stoke the fire, grab a hot toddy and lock all your doors because it’s time to sink beneath the “Polar Veil”.
TRACKLISTING:
01. The Tundra Is Awake
02. Older Than The Gods
03. Listen To The River
04. A Cabin In Montana
05. Eternal Meadow
06. Crepuscular Creatures
07. Ring
08. Homeward Polar Spirit
LINE-UP:
Mathew Kvohst McNerney – Vocals, Guitars
Kimmo Helén – Piano, Keys, Viola, Violin
Jukka Rämänen – Drums, Percussion,
Ville Hakonen – Bass
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
