Album Review: Hexvessel – Nocturne

Band: Hexvessel
Title: Nocturne
Label: Prophecy Productions
Release date: June 13th, 2025
Country: Finland
Format reviewed: High quality digital recording

Album Review: Hexvessel – Nocturne via Prophecy Productions by Consanguineus

One of the most unexpected highlights of 2023 was undoubtedly Hexvessel’s sixth album, Polar Veil. For longtime followers of the band, its release came like a bolt from the blue. Hexvessel — the brainchild of Mat “Kvohst” McNerney, once known for a mysterious blend of psychedelic folk, occult lyricism, and pastoral melancholy — had abruptly taken a radical turn. Gone were the acoustic textures and druidic musings; in their place came Polar Veil, a pitch-black, atmospherically charged Black Metal record — cold, intense, and steeped in mystical grandeur.

For new listeners, it might have been an intriguing introduction, but for those who revisited earlier albums like No Holier Temple or When We Are Death, the stylistic shift was nothing short of astonishing. Where once there were harps, flutes, and warm analogue production, now came tremolo-picked guitars, blast beats, and a sound that evoked early Ulver or even the atmospheric vastness of Wolves in the Throne Room — though not without retaining a thread of Hexvessel’s signature psychedelic flair.

What made this transformation all the more impressive was that Polar Veil didn’t feel like a band desperately trying to reinvent itself for the sake of relevance. Instead, it came across as a natural — almost inevitable — evolution. The dark undercurrent that had always lingered in Hexvessel’s music — that sense of loss, reverence for nature, and existential melancholy — now found full expression, cloaked in a black metal aesthetic that felt entirely fitting for the themes and atmosphere of the record.

The new album Nocturne had its origins in a special commission: frontman Mat McNerney was asked to compose a unique piece of music for the prestigious Roadburn Festival. The result was “Music for Gloaming: A Nocturne” — a haunting, spellbinding suite that premiered at the festival and immediately left a lasting impression.

With those compositions as a foundation, Hexvessel entered the studio determined to capture the twilight magic of that live experience. Thus, Nocturne was born — once again showcasing a band in constant transformation. Like its predecessor Polar Veil, the album marks a clear departure from Hexvessel’s psychedelic folk roots. Yet where Polar Veil excelled in its intensity and focus, Nocturne opts for a more experimental, layered approach.

There is greater room for acoustic instrumentation, ambient structures, and synthesizers, which weave themselves like tendrils of mist around the cold, desolate Black Metal riffs. The result is a soundscape that feels both hushed and ominous — like the slow descent of dusk in a wintry forest, where the line between reality and dream begins to blur.

McNerney’s distinctive voice once again plays a central role. His dark, solemn delivery guides the listener through the foggy landscapes Hexvessel conjures here. At several moments he is joined by guest vocalists, including Yusaf “Vicotnik” Parvez (Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende), whose contributions lend an additional layer of alienation and intensity and Juho Vanhanen van Oranssi Pazuzu on the final song “Phoebus”.

This collaboration highlights how Nocturne transcends the boundaries of traditional Black Metal or psychedelia. It is an album that dares to breathe, to reflect, to wander — without ever losing its sense of foreboding. A sonic nocturne that whispers more than it screams, yet embeds itself deeply under the skin.

With Nocturne, Hexvessel proves once again that evolution does not have to mean rupture, but can instead offer a deeper sense of purpose. This is music for the twilight hours, for the in-between spaces — and perhaps most of all, for those who feel most at home there.

Special mention must also go to the artwork of Nocturne, which visually aligns beautifully with that of Polar Veil, reinforcing a strong sense of thematic continuity. 9/10

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9/10  Epic Storm
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