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HEXVESSEL

Prog Folk • Finland


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Hexvessel picture
Hexvessel biography
Founded in Tampere, Finland in 2009

Hexvessel is a Finnish group led by English immigrant Mat "Kvohst" McNerney. They play Gothic style of psychedelic folk rock, with wide ranging influences including early PINK FLOYD, HAWKWIND, AMON DUUL II, and VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, among many others. A pagan, nature centered vibe is discerned even through the occasionally metallic threads, and instrumentation is as varied as that implies. Recommended for fans of COMUS, ESPERS, CHANGES, PROMETHEAN or WOVENHAND.

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HEXVESSEL discography


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HEXVESSEL top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.35 | 18 ratings
Dawnbearer
2011
3.94 | 22 ratings
No Holier Temple
2012
3.26 | 16 ratings
When We Are Death
2016
3.25 | 5 ratings
All Tree
2019
3.18 | 10 ratings
Kindred
2020
2.00 | 3 ratings
Polar Veil
2023

HEXVESSEL Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

HEXVESSEL Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

HEXVESSEL Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

HEXVESSEL Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 2 ratings
Vainolainen
2012
2.61 | 8 ratings
Iron Marsh
2013
4.00 | 2 ratings
Earth over Us
2015
4.00 | 1 ratings
Halloween
2020
0.00 | 0 ratings
Older Than the Gods
2023

HEXVESSEL Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Halloween by HEXVESSEL album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2020
4.00 | 1 ratings

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Halloween
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

— First review of this album —
4 stars In time for Samhain 2020, the Finnish pagan neo folk group led by Englishman Matt McNerney recorded a cover of the Misfits' "Halloween" from 1981. That punk rock group arranged a morbid but still musically upbeat take on some of the rituals of the season, but HEXVESSEL offers a contrasting approach, much down tempo, crepuscular and haunting, and it does not disappoint. Of course with their history, this theme is as appropriate as was their arresting cover of "Gaia" a few years prior. Along with other chillers in this vein over the last decade and a half, "Halloween" epitomizes the Gothic style of HEXVESSEL at their best. Time to lighten things up with an episode of Black Mirror.
 Polar Veil by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2023
2.00 | 3 ratings

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Polar Veil
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

2 stars This is perhaps not so much a review as a warning; HEXVESSEL is a neo folk/prog folk group that has occasionally applied a heavy cloak and even threw their spiral triskele in the woods a few times but somebody either retrieved it or it miraculously crawled out. No such luck on this their 6th full length album, which obliterates all roots with impossibly heavy distorted guitars. I don't know whether to crank the volume so I can hear the vocals and the other inundated arrangements (that doesn't help I might add) or mute the whole affair. The paces tend to be slow, in fact more plodding than the band's other offerings, but, apart from the overdone conveyance of icy isolation which presumably suits the album themes, and the heavy handed brilliance of "Older than the Gods" and to a lesser extent "Ring", "Polar Veil" utterly sacrifices identity at the "we need to do a metal album" altar.. Let's hope these non-ASMR chills are temporary.
 Dawnbearer by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2011
3.35 | 18 ratings

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Dawnbearer
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by UMUR
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars "Dawnbearer" is the debut full-length studio album by Finland based (but multi-national) folk group Hexvessel. The album was released through Svart Records in February 2011. Hexvessel was founded by lead vocalist Mat "Kvohst" McNerney (real name: Mathew Joseph McNerney) after he had been in and out of Norwegian progressive black metal act Dødheimsgard for a couple of years. Kvohst joined Dødheimsgard for the recording of "Supervillain Outcast (2007)", but left the band again in January 2008. He reunited with Dødheimsgard again in 2010 but left again soon after. He has also released albums with artists like Void, Code, and Gangrenator. After relocating to Finland he formed Hexvessel and the rock group Beastmilk. The latter disbanded in 2015 and some of the members (including Kvohst) continued the band under the With Grave Pleasures monicker.

So needless to say that Kvohst is quite the prolific and eclectic musician. While many of his past adventures has been in black metal related acts, Hexvessel is a very different beast and shows a completely new side of the man´s talent. The material on "Dawnbearer" is in some sort of dark and psychadelic tinged folk style. Often almost ritualistic in its expression. An atmosphere which is further enhanced by monotone repetition. It´s the work of 60s and 70s folk artists like The Incredible String Band, Comus, Forest, Spirogyra, Jan Dukes de Grey, which come to mind, but Hexvessel brings a more contemporary edge to that style. On "Dawnbearer", Kvohst is joined by female vocalist Marja Konttinen and a host of guest/session musicians playing instruments like Harmonium, Gongs, Keyboards, Dulcimer, Zither, Psaltery, Bells, Drums, Percussion, guitar, Upright bass, Bowed Dulcimer, Hand Claps, Hand Drum, Bandoneon, Mandolin, and Banjo.

The outcome is a warm and organic instrumental soundscape complimented by the paatos filled vocals by Kvohst and Konttinen (who mostly sings harmony vocals and choirs). There is an eerie and dark psychadelic tone to the music and in usual Kvohst style the lyrics follow suit and paint gloomy absurd landscapes. Some may find the lyrics too "artsy" and pretentious, but personally I think this is some damn fine dark poetry. Kvohst is quite the brilliant vocalist with a distinct sounding voice and delivery, and the many well performed harmony vocals and choirs enhance the vocal part of the music greatly too.

The material on the 15 track, 54:29 minutes long album is generally well written, but some tracks are more interesting than others and while the overall quality of the album is relatively high, the long playing time does mean that the album overstays its welcome by about 10 minutes. Highlights include tracks like the Paul Simon cover "Diamonds", the opening track "Invocation Summoning", "The Tunnel at the End of the Light" (featuring Virus frontman Carl-Michael Eide on guest vocals), and "The Death Knell Tolls".

Upon conclusion "Dawnbearer" is a strong first release by Hexvessel, featuring high level musicianship, a well sounding production, and predominantly intriguing songwriting. As mentioned above there are some tracks which aren´t on par with the best material on the album and had the band weeded out those tracks, it would have made for an overall stronger release (they could easily have left out most of the instrumental tracks on the album). As it is a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

 Kindred by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.18 | 10 ratings

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Kindred
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

3 stars 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.

 Kindred by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2020
3.18 | 10 ratings

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Kindred
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by lukretio

3 stars 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)

 All Tree by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2019
3.25 | 5 ratings

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All Tree
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

3 stars For their fourth full length release, Mathew McNerney and his "forest-folk" collective HEXVESSEL have stepped back into the woods after a brief foray with the more electrified approach on "When we are Death". "All Tree" actually blends the attenuated aspects of that album with the acoustic reverie of "No Holier Temple" and "Dawnbearer" and the product is pleasing to the ear more so than revolutionary, which may well be as intended.

The album's most succinct statements occur at the outset, with the oh so curt but essential "Blessing" yielding instantaneously to "Son of the Sky", with emotive vocals, a dynamic rhythm guitar riff and even a spooky chanted passage towards the denouement. Spotty comparisons to similarly focused prog folk bands like MIDLAKE ("Provider") and DEAD CAN DANCE are apt. The coda includes a rare but pointed lead guitar solo. "Old Tree" is the quasi title track and, while its musings are hardly original - think of all the events to which a dying centuries-old tree might have seen - its presentation brilliantly encapsulates a wistful awe, thanks in part to guest violin by Daniel Pioro. The song also portends a somewhat new philosophical direction for HEXVESSEL. While prior albums held out some hope or at least longing, "All Tree" seems more genuinely optimistic, more assured in its vision, whatever antagonistic world events might and surely will intervene. This shift is crystallized in "Sylvan Sign", which is perhaps a bit artificially elongated but still lovely in parts. It's this conviction in the superiority of the "old ways" that fuzzily demarcates the "neo folk" genre for better and worse.

Other favorites are "Ancient Astronaut", with its pulsating acoustic backdrop and perhaps the best lead guitar solo on the disk, all the better for its economical support to the message, and the bluesy downer "Birthmark", which offers an offset to the overall mood while a bonding exercise for those not seen as "normal". It reminds me of the earnest simplicity of the solo works by former RENAISSANCE and ILLUSION man JAMES MCCARTY. The remainder alternates brief ambient excursions that seem more like links to the vocal tracks with vocal tracks that are almost as spare and terse, sweet sounding but not particularly substantive. Even here, notable touches are the electric piano on "Journey to Carnac", and the deliberately tentative finale "Closing Circles" maintain quality standards throughout.

I'm starting to wonder if HEXVESSEL has a true masterpiece in them, but their roots and branches remind us where we came from and where we are going. It might be the same place, but I can't be the only one who finds that a comforting thought.

 Iron Marsh by HEXVESSEL album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2013
2.61 | 8 ratings

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Iron Marsh
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

2 stars This rather generous EP followed on the heels of HEXVESSEL's best album, "No Holier Temple", and bears similarities in structure to that album, with a blend of protracted epics and briefer pieces. It begins with, I suppose, it's raison-d'etre, the 13 minute "Mask of the Universe", which is denser than the longer pieces on the prior album, obsessing over droning guitar figures and repetitive incanted lyrics that break occasionally to reveal underlying themes of interest. It puts me in mind of some early FRANCO BATTIATO for some reason, that is to say, it would have been regarded as experimental 40 years ago. Today...I'm not quite sure what to make of it, only to say that I enjoy parts and am lukewarm on others.

For the rest, "Superstitious Currents" and "Woman of Salem" are both highlights, the first a stark ballad sung in a suitably stunned voice and tackling the occult, the second a cover of a YOKO ONO song made HEXVESSEL's own. It's one of the most accessible tracks they have done, which means it's still a challenge, but in a generally propitious manner, with Marja Konttinen's vocals equal to the grim task of recounting the 1692 witch trials. "The Tunnel at the End of the Light" proves that you can pluck out a mediocre old chestnut, dress it up with guitars and drums, and churn out a mediocre redux quite handily. The closing number "Don't Break the Curse" is lazily dependent on spoken word, which is a shame as it's quite compelling when it ultimately transforms itself into a song, too little too late.

Since "Iron Marsh" at best consolidates the gains made by "No Holier Temple", and since its keynote piece doesn't quite deliver what's implicitly promised in the playbill, I'm going to round down from 2.5 stars for this mildly anemic showing.

 Earth over Us by HEXVESSEL album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2015
4.00 | 2 ratings

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Earth over Us
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

4 stars Released prior to their 3rd album "When we are Death", "Earth over Us" introduces one of the punchier tracks from that album, one that diverges from the more laid back doom-laden style forged over the prior full length releases. In fact, the EP "Iron Marsh" from a few years before had already done this to an extent. Perhaps the main reason for this single release, and the only reason for you to procure it, lies in the magnificent B-side "Gaia", a remake of a song by Swedish metal group TIAMAT on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. I dug up the original, and, particularly when combined with the official video with grainy black and white footage of a dire planetscape, the version by HEXVESSEL might be of greater interest to the prog rock community, more so since TIAMAT hasn't made it onto these pages.

The long intro (almost 2 minutes) is dominated by heavy droning rhythm guitar and percussion, with an expectant mood that is ultimately rewarded. When McEnerny's voice materializes, he delivers a long languid ode to Mother Earth and her ultimate power over us. The choruses provide a more harmonic, if not a lyrical, break from the despair, and are where the keyboard washes can be best heard. The instrumental breaks include distorted lead guitar runs and brass, before the coda brings it all to a somewhat abrupt end, perhaps intending to mirror our own collective (imminent?) demise.

 When We Are Death by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2016
3.26 | 16 ratings

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When We Are Death
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

3 stars If "No Holier temple" in 2012 represented a wholly successful refinement of the group's "forest folk" style, "When We Are Death" shows the HEXVESSEL of 2016 surrendering to electric abandon, with a more urban, at times danceable aspect to most of the tracks. The quality of the compositions; the instrumental performances and arrangements, many using organ and lively percussion; and lyrical substance remain as impeccable as ever. From the album title one might surmise that the band remains focused on oneness with nature, and that inference would be largely correct. They have just changed costumes and uncovered a few a/c outlets with which they are availing themselves with abandon.

Luckily HEXVESSEL has included a sprinkling of tracks that scratch the same itch as did "No Holier Temple". The best of these is the dignified "Cosmic Truth", with a refreshingly simple verse and refrain that I could hear or chant for hours, and plan to when I'm retired or telecommuting full time. "Mirror Boy" is almost as breathtaking, like one of the more mystical songs from Britain's OYSTERBAND. "Green Gold" channels JOY DIVISION via MOODY BLUES, with a sweepingly grand melody and clever turns of phrase. My version has "Hunter's Prayer" as closer, driven by a surprisingly vivacious beat and succinct lead guitar riffs, returning us to earth center.

The remaining material ranges from substance assisted pure psychedelia ("Drugged up on the Universe" and "Mushroom Spirit Doors") which does little for me, to much more interesting organ driven 1960s meets 1980s rock with a touch of blues ("Transparent Eyeball", with shades of STRANGLERS and DOORS; "Earth over Us"; and, the best of these, "Teeth of the Mountain"). It's about as distinctive as a basic rock style can get, and is certainly recommended for those who enjoy those readily accessible pleasures.

"When we are Death" is a paradoxically lively release for HEXVESSEL and, as well executed as it is, it lacks the adventurousness and unabashedly prog attitude of "No Holier Temple". A band I hope to hear more from while I am alive.

 No Holier Temple by HEXVESSEL album cover Studio Album, 2012
3.94 | 22 ratings

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No Holier Temple
Hexvessel Prog Folk

Review by kenethlevine
Special Collaborator Prog-Folk Team

4 stars "No Holier Temple" represents a major step forward for Matt McNerney's HEXVESSEL relative to their debut. The spoken sections are much terser, and the songs are more varied, from brooding pop to heavy rock to adventurous prog epics, all delivered with the synergy of shared ritual, and an underlying folk sensibility. The band clearly having gelled markedly in just a couple of years.

While recollections of DAVID SYLVIAN during his MARK ISHAM collaborations ("Woods to Conjure") , DEAD CAN DANCE medieval balladry ("Letter in Birch Bark"), BLACK SABBATH doom meets ZOMBIES harmonics ("His Portal Tomb"), CURRENT 93 vigilance ("Are You Coniferous"), and the mysticism of a heavily sedated COMUS ("Sacred Marriage", perhaps the standout track here) will gratify many, the band synergy is its main calling card, expressed through the haunting compositions and arrangements that not only set the mood but dwell within it. Even the TENHI-like "Unseen Sun" at protracted 13 minutes, at least confirms that the group won't abandon its hallowed and cherished melancholy for an instant.

"Neo folk" music has a somewhat earned reputation of being quite the opposite of warm and fuzzy, but as much as it can, "No Holier Temple", opens the circle to accommodate those who pray for transformative modern prog folk. Highly recommended.

Thanks to kenethlevine for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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