ALBUM REVIEW: Häxenzijrkell – Die Nachtseite

German Black Metallers Häxenzijrkell have their debut full length ready to unleash, following a demo, two splits and two EP’s. Due for release via Amor Fati Productions on September 30th.

Unsettling ambience starts off the trio of pieces with spoken word. furthering the reverberate and eerie atmosphere of whatever horrors lay in wait. Raw guitars and cascading drums shimmer into existence with a bleak and luminescent aura of total despair, certainly an intense sound to come in with. Haunting vocals conjure more warped visions to the visceral yet otherworldly soundscapes. With such a multifaceted and hugely layered sound, Häxenzijrkell’s music is easy to become lost in, finding the way out is the hard part. Screeching with dissonance both vocally and instrumentally, the chilling and uncompromising approach to this music is certainly not for the faint of heart.

The ambience of the record is huge, though not in a tranquil or remotely pleasant manner. The ambience of which I speak is more akin to French underground bands like Feigur whom create a psychotic and convulsive sense of hypnosis with bleaker yet ferociously aggressive Black Metal, conjuring a spectral and self-loathing flame that grows to inferno. Despairing yet with a boldness to even the more monotone sections, Häxenzijrkell has something special and unique to offer, though one might find it difficult to place just what it is that sets this haunting affair apart. Perhaps the likeness to more ritualistic bands of the underground.

With three pieces of music making up the album, it is no wonder that the flow is impeccable as they have had to work incredibly hard at making the transitions smooth rather than breaking things into shorter songs. While this move is certainly risky in Extreme Metal, Häxenzijrkell have done it justice by performing the abyssal hypnosis that few bands can concoct so well. This is a pungent trio of malicious, indulgent and ultimately creative Black Metal offerings that only an expanded mind can appreciate. Unfaltering, richly ambient and savagely performed, allow yourself to fall into the void of this record or miss out on an incredible journey.

This is one of those records that is certainly more of an experience than just something to listen to. Häxenzijrkell conjure ancient spirits into their sound which though solidly Black Metal has a firm ritualistic quality of far older cultures than those still present. This debut album is not only the culmination of the bands works, but hopefully the first part in a new series of occultist malice that will continue to progress into something superb. This first full length truly is an impeccable journey indeed. -9/10