ALBUM REVIEW: Häxanu – Totenpass

After releasing one of my favourite recent Black Metal albums in the form of their “Snare of all Salvation” debut, HÄXANU is finally back with a follow up. Out via Amor Fati Productions on February 7th.

Tranquil acoustic guitars and samples begin the record, with what I can only to presume to be a very false sense of security. After the introduction we kick into a melodic array of gorgeously dreamy guitars while the lucid punch of the drums pounds through the dancing riffs. Immediately rekindling fond memories of 90s Finnish Black Metal, the slightly sombre edge to Häxanu is not a softening factor as the scathing vocals, ferocious instrumentation and grim mix will show you. The hammering violence of the snare hits is countered by some epic and grandiose guitar playing while the cymbals also accentuate the sense of melody. It’s interesting, because melody and atmosphere are words that have become the target of much ire in Black Metal, perhaps as many bands led to them being synonymous for soft. Häxanu is not one of these, playing a visceral, gripping and enchanting take on the genres roots with these triumphant moments tying into a much darker framework. As was the case on the debut, the vocals really stand out for their impassioned, emboldened and utterly feral delivery which is full of emotion and cuts through the air and mix alike. “Totenpass” is off to a magnificent start.

Amidst all of the haunting elements is a very animalistic feeling, perhaps one close to lycanthropy where the moonlit atmosphere of the record is counter-played by this maliciously scornful feeling. Indeed the actual hitting of notes feels like it is done with a tangible force, a difference that is quite easy to discern between playing hard and turning things up in the mix. Similarly the vocals sound like they may have inflicted some damage to L.C. when they were recorded. Meanwhile the flurries of superb drum attacks and mesmerising riffs, courtesy of the omnipresent A.P. are as mystifying and wondrously vibrant as ever. There is a reason Häxanu is one of my favourite of his projects and that is simple. There is such an abundance of energy to coat the fantastic musicianship that each piece, let alone the entire work of art, truly grips me from start to end.

Although the obvious traditional elements are here, we see some synths add some ice to the chilling soundscapes to phenomenal effect without detracting from the intensity or aggression of the music at all. Everything feels very full of intent and well-placed, nothing haphazardly sticks out and it would be fair to assume the three years since the debut have contained a lot of fine-tuning and working this record down to its burning core before building it up with effervescent and wondrous elements, ascending to a higher plane of conscious with the power of Black Metal. These releases that have a true sense of magic to them are always going to rise above the chaff of mediocrity, even for a smaller audience, selectiveness is better than blind adoration from blithering fools. The mix of more typical song lengths with a couple of more drawn-out and pieces works to the contemplative and yet constantly engaging execution of the album, giving things time to develop but also cutting to the chase when need be. As I said before, everything here feels very purposeful and is delivered to its fullest potential, thus it is very hard to demerit in any sense. Häxanu triumphs once more.

Another spectrally savage and unforgettable experience. After the debut, as I mentioned, being one of my favourite recent Black Metal record, I can say that “Totenpass” was not a disappointing follow up. Rather the contrary; this album harnesses the same energy from the same pool of occultism and elevates the ideas to transcendent new highs. Neither better nor worse, just a superb new chapter in this tale that truly must be experienced…