Höggva ‎"You Who Enter Here" CD Digipack

1st album of Höggva, previously named Dasap. With this 1st album, it had become necessary to changed the name. Höggva is the continuity of all material released since 1994. HÖGGVA is the continuation of various project, starting in 1994.
Beginning was raw black, then evoluate towards a more sophisticate black / death.
HÖGGVA is now playing blasting Technical Black-Death Prog, a little bit like Ved Buens Ende etc...
With members of Iphicrate, Dasap, Cénotaphe, Norman Shores, Aeterna Tenebrae...
Available in Digipack format. Digipack limited to 500 Copies

Höggva are another band/project hailing from France. Consisting of J. (who is responsible for all instruments) and Fog those two have a lot of experience with other bands and projects so although “You Who Enter Here” is a debut album the level of experience and professionalism is as high as it gets. While deeply rooted in traditional black/death metal there is a lot going on here and it will take a few spins to fully grasp everything that is presented to the listener.
While each death/black metal band puts a lot of emphasis on building a sinister atmosphere these guys have gone even a bit further compared to their peers. While the main focus is still on the riffs and the relentless drum attacks there are a lot of desperate and haunting harmonies dwelling in the background. Eerie themes presented by the lead guitar are always present – sometimes more subtle and in other places as leading elements defining certain parts of the song.
The main riffs might sound familiar but some of the chord progressions feel like a modern twist on something that has been written some decades ago. A lot of the trademark chops are repeated over and over again but often with subtle variation lending the music a slightly monotonous but also hypnotic and very stringent character. The music has an epic undertone without sacrificing any of the aggression needed for that kind of stuff.
Melancholic and trippy guitar harmonies are often dwelling in the background while the stoic and hypnotic basic chords are responsible for a dense atmosphere. The fascinating chord progressions are accompanied by melodic trademark lead lines defining the character of each single song. The speed and the intensity are kept high for most of the album with only a few passages where the tempo is slowed down and the listener gets a chance to breathe. However, the melodic harmonies and the fantastic hooks make the record a very enjoyable affair.
The songs are structured in a way that it might not always be immediately clear where the band wanted to go but consecutive listens will help sharpening the picture. The build-ups are often dramatic with some instrumental and acoustic sections making the album feel very atmospheric and more laid-back than some other works of the genre. There are also some doomy parts with the music crawling through the speakers which helps ramping up the gloomy atmosphere even more. The same can be said about the vocals switching between growling, classic blackish barking and a slightly cleaner yet absolutely haunting style.
The production is pretty much flawless with the guitars and drums sounding powerful and punchy. The mix is perfectly clear making all the details and different elements easily audible. While some might argue that black metal needs more rawness I think that “You Who Enter Here” highly benefits from this approach. Coming with a great cover it is highly recommended to get the digipak edition of this great record.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...