#Hjemsøkt Mystikk og mørke
Band: Hjemsøkt
Title: Mystikk og mørke
Label: Purity Through Fire
Release date: 22 September 2023
Country: Norway
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
It was one of those days in which I didn’t know what to listen to, even if I had tons of albums and bands that I enjoyed around me, I still didn’t know what to pick. You know the feeling, uh… Then, I remembered it was about time to choose another promo in order to write a review, and I started rummaging across the files. After starting with a few of them, I saw this band’s name: Hjemsøkt. Ah, nice, I thought; I bet they are from Norway (guessing from their name). I checked and yes, they are. Mmm… Black Metal? Oh well, let’s take a listen…
And wow, I chose right. “Mystikk og mørke” (“Mystery and Darkness”) is a 6 track EP, less than 25 minutes in length, but let me tell you, insanely intense! This is Norwegian Black Metal with an obvious worship for the old times, and you can find great Pagan vibes in this album. The tempo, the music, some choirs…
The production is raw and with some emphasis on the sharp guitar tone, and it definitely pierces your brain. Which is very good, at least for me.
There are only 2 people behind Hjemsøkt, and they are Peregrinus who plays all instruments and writes lyrics (maybe you know some other bands with him: Solus Grief, Kvad, Praefuro…) and Letaliis at vocals. They have created a dark beast with this band, indeed.
A thing I really enjoy about Hjemsøkt is that I can totally get lost in the music like I was under a spell. Ah did you know?, the band’s name means “Haunted”, and that’s pretty accurate in my opinion… I can choose to listen to the music as a whole, being surrounded by the icy cold that it emanates. Or, I can decide to focus on just one instrument in order to catch all the details, all the vibrating notes, the electricity in each of them.
Guitar riffs have a pure sound, distilling the Nordic atmosphere, so damn good. The drums are mainly mid-paced, but there are also blast beats and some rapid passages. But yeah, I love the fact that they are not in a constant hurry. The bass is perfectly audible and has a great role in the songs, I love it. And vocals, the rough screams fit perfectly and give the songs that extra-dark touch, as if they weren’t enough!
There’s an acoustic piece, “Sorgens hymne” (“The anthem of sorrow”) that’s somber and atmospheric, with only guitar and a small male choir… gives me goosebumps. And the closing track, “Nattestormer”, is an instrumental one, where the vocals are not missed ‘cause the instruments sound impressive, you can almost “touch” the music, and there’s a thick and obscure ambiance surrounding you that leads you to the end of this EP… Too short, too short!
When I think of raw Black Metal, this is the kind of stuff I like to listen to. I can see this album resonating a lot of times in my head from now on. It’s great and I love it, it’s 9/10 for me Sílvia
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9/10 Epic Storm
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