DAWNBEARER

Whiffs of the occult have flickered about the edges of the psychedelic folk and dark folk scenes for quite some time, but Hexvessel go above and beyond with it on this debut album, beginning with an invocation of hidden spirits and taking us on a mystical journey through the woodland, culminating in secret ceremonies in sacred groves. Their commitment to this concept is impressive, and they have the mystical musical chops to back it up.

Some have tied it in with the neofolk scene, though it seems to be genuinely apolitical (as opposed to the sham- "apolitical" that bands with dodgy politics like to claim they are even when they transparently aren't), leaning much harder on the occultism angle that some sections of neofolk play on and much less on nostalgia; whereas some neofolk bands like to dream of a long-ago pagan time that never truly was, Hexvessel are living a pagan life right here and now.