Hexvessel - "Polar Veil"

Heavy and Occult

Hexvessel is one of my go-to bands for witchy or occult-sounding tracks. So for them to release in late September, as they did, is pretty fucking perfect.

The Finnish group pulls on many different styles and labels to create their sound – it is simultaneously Folk and Rock and Metal, but also none of the above. They meld elements of Death, Doom, Psychedelic, and Prog in their cauldron, and what results is this wild, yet tranquil, sound that is quite unlike any other group in my regular rotation.

The album kicks off loud and aggressively with “The Tundra is Awake”. It doesn’t ease in, it just attacks. Of course, “attack” means something different with Hexvessel than with a more typical metal outfit – it’s loud and sustained, so if you have your volume set high when you hit play, you’re going to get a jolt.

You’ve been warned.

Throughout the album, multiple lines have a tendency to latch onto a phrase and drag it out, all at once, languishing in harmony – or even with mild discordancy. Adding to this effect is a stunning level of reverb on the guitar lines. All of this feeds into the Psychedelic side of the band, which is often at the forefront of their sound. “Listen to the River” is especially potent on this front.

The vocals are clean throughout, and Mat Kvohst McNerny’s vocal style, at least with Hexvessel, has this sad, forlorn quality which resonates with the rest of the band, especially on the more Doom-heavy tracks, such as “A Cabin in Montana”. 

Polar Veil still feels like Hexvessel, but it’s also the heaviest offering from the band that I can recall (though I would need to revisit their older albums to confirm this). As a result, it feels a bit less ‘witchy’ than I expected. Especially on the tracks with the deeper Death influences, such as “Eternal Meadow and “Homeward Polar Spirit”. The Folkiness is less present than in the past.

Still, it’s a good album and a solid listen. This one is especially good for background music if you need to focus – at least for me; it has that droning, constant quality that really works for that particular need.

Rating: Green