Digipak, limited to 500 copies in total.
Nearly seven years would pass after the release of the debut album "Frykten og mennesket" before the follow-up from one-man BM band Helvetespine - it must have been a difficult second album but believe me, I've heard of even longer waiting times, a decade in fact, between first and second albums for some BM acts (off the top of my head, I can think of the US band Havohej). The question is, is the wait for Helvetespine's second album worth it?
Intro track "Dode Toner - Et Drommespill I Take" gives what we can expect from the rest of the album: it's generally depressive BM, harsh and bleak in tone and mood with harsh and pained textures. The production is not polished but the sound is clear enough. The vocals are more hoarse than harsh. The live drumming is good and together with the thrumming tremolo guitar rhythms are the best elements of Helvetespie's style. The music can be repetitive though the riffs are distinctive enough that listeners can identify tracks through them. Quiet moments in the music are opportunities for deep introspection into the purpose of one's life and its direction. As the track progresses, definite and very melancholy melodies develop and solo lead guitar comes to dominate.
"Choirs of the Last Aeon" is the only English-language track, describing a world on the edge of descent into eternal darkness, and a very pop-friendly song it is too in the style of Burzum's "Filosofem" album. Catchy if sorrowful pop tunes abound and tremolo guitars are subjected to a major work-out here. The drums do sufficient work to set the pace and drive the music along but are not remarkable otherwise. The overall mood is anguished though listeners may detect frustration as well. This long song treads a balance between repetition and just enough variation in melodies and riffs, with new developments in the music coming almost up to the end, keeping listeners on edge.
The second half of the album is taken up with two parts of the title track after a short instrumental interlude. Part 1 is the fastest piece on the album but otherwise continues in a similar way as previous tracks: there are enough twists and turns to stop your attention from wandering and to escalate the emotional tension and drama in the music. The singing, usually cloaked in reverb, doesn't quite match the intense emotion and the strain is very obvious when Banehogg tries singing in a slightly higher register than he normally does. Part 2 is a bit more relaxed and its post-metal pop ambitions are more obvious which to me seems a bit strange for a second half of a concept work that is intended to sum up the work and the whole album as well. While there is some excellent drumming and some of the melodic guitar work is good as well, I feel a bit let down by the concluding song - something of the album's earlier tenseness and terror is missing, to be replaced by a happy radiant piece that is at odds with Helvetespine's raw and gruff style.
The album will satisfy most fans who already know Helvetespine from previous releases but those who might have been expecting some significant progress in the project's style and themes might be disappointed. Helvetespine's approach is not much different from the first album to the second in spite of the long delay between the releases. The level of musicianship may be better and Banehogg plays some very distinctive and highly memorable tunes. But I fear though that his project might be seriously treading a very commercial music path and in doing so, sacrificing that aspect of Helvetespine that makes it what it is and turning it into a generic post-BM.
Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwAWh0Wlbzo&t=777s
