KINDRED

There are two short instrumentals on Hexvessel's fifth album Kindred that represent very well its sonic identity. The first instrumental, "Sic Luceat Lux", is a sparsely arranged affair built around a hypnotic drum figure and a dissonant, almost cacophonic 12-string guitar pattern, that wouldn't have been out of place on a 1970s progressive rock album like King Crimson's Lizard or Pink Floyd's Ummagumma. The other short instrumental, "Family", is instead a folksy piece based on a gentle acoustic guitar arpeggio and is much more melodic and accessible. Kindred is an album suspended between these two opposite poles: gentle, relaxed, almost singer-songwriter folk pieces like "Bog Bodies" or "Magical and Damned" stand in stark contrast to more frantic and experimental tracks like "Billion Year Old Being" or "Demian".

This alternation works well, giving the album a fresh and dynamic flow that succeeds in retaining interest for most of its duration. This is probably the greatest strength of Kindred: while it contains only few standout tracks ("Billion Year Old Being", "Fire of the Mind", "Bog Bodies"), the album as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts and it is best appreciated in its entirety as a continuous piece of music, with its emotional peaks and valleys slowly unfurling with each new song. It is a captivating journey that never bores or tires, unlike some of the band's previous output (for instance 2019's All Tree), where the excessive homogeneity of the material could represent a challenge for some listeners.

As with previous albums, the focus of Hexvessel's inspiration remains firmly rooted in the sylvan world of forests and trees. But compared to its predecessor All Tree, the atmosphere has darkened and has taken a slightly more sinister turn on Kindred. If All Tree captured the sweet quietness of a long stroll in the forest, Kindred transmits the unnerving realization that maybe the path has been lost and there's no safe way back home. The unsettling energy that dominates Kindred is also reflected in the choice of subject matter for its 10 songs: human sacrifice, death and naturally mummified cadavers are some of the themes that repeat throughout the album.

But be warned: dark subject matter aside, there is very little to no metal at all going on in Kindred. The coordinates of the album are rooted in folk rock and 1970s progressive rock (Comus, King Crimson, early Pink Floyd, Robert Wyatt). The two components contribute in equal measure to the sound of Kindred. The folk component is accentuated by the abundant use of string (violin and viola) and brass instruments (trumpet) that constitute an integral part of the sonic texture of the album. The progressive component is enhanced by experimentation with "found sounds", like the sound of the wind howling through the window cracks, or the sound of a bowed piece of metal, that can be heard on some of the quieter passages. The influence of King Crimson is particularly evident in a track like "Billion Year Old Being", where the instrumental break-down in the middle of the song is vaguely reminiscent of the iconic "21st Century Schizoid Man" on Crimson's debut. But there are also less obvious, more surprising influences. "Phaedra" and "Magical and Damned" are tracks that could have been released on a Nick Cave's album - the use of piano and dark, baritone voice paying tribute to the genial Aussie singer-songwriter. "Demian" is almost a straightforward hard-rocker - at least for Hexvessel's standards. There is also a cover of experimental band Coil, with a beautiful rendition of "Fire of the Mind", recorded live in a former mental asylum.

While Kindred is not an album that will grab you by the throat and demand immediate attention, its intimate, almost meditative atmosphere will discreetly grow on you with time and repeated listens, ultimately revealing the indubitable quality of the album. Certainly more varied and dynamic than Hexvessel's previous album All Tree, this is a record that may appeal to those fans of prog or folk metal who are looking for something less metallic, more soothing to add to their collection.

(Originially written for The Metal Observer)

Mat McNerney and his Finnish comrades are settling into an album of LP length a year rhythm, not their only retro characteristic to be sure. While the lyrical themes have remained nature centered, the albums have mostly varied in the degree to which the folk music gene is expressed, or, put another way, exactly how much 1980s new age and dark wave shunts the agreeable folk aside. On "When we are death", this shift was pronounced, while "All Tree" reversed course again. On "Kindred", we have something of a mix of those last 2 offerings, suggesting an ambivalent band at the crossroads.

The first couple of tracks are both among the heaviest statements yet made by HEXVESSEL. "Billion Year Old Being" is a challenging 7 minutes of doom, which gets a thumbs up while failing to convince me this isn't a mere distraction. "Demian" also relies on a heavy riff but is decidedly less significant, and so the early attack fizzles. "Fire of the Mind" is more of a archetypal HEXVESSEL ballad with a succinct message, while "Bog Bodies" is like a DAVID SYLVIAN song plunked in the middle of somebody else's album, when the only appropriate setting is on a DAVID SYLVIAN album. Nice try though. "Phaedra" and "Magical and Damned" are my personal favourites here, the first a Gothic wet dream told in a creepy first Demi God narrative style, and the second an always welcome return to an indictment of humanity's abuse of nature. I just wish the dreamy ending could have closed a loop or two but maybe that was the point.

Like its predecessor, this lacks a truly outstanding number like "Mirror Boy", "Gaia" or "Cosmic Truth". I remain hopeful that Matt and his not so merry band mates have a masterpiece still in them, but, apart from a little more variation on the dirge rapture end of the scale, this is a more or less kindred spirit to the last couple of HEXVESSEL outings.