In the world of extreme music, there are few people as infamous or notorious as Kristian Eivind Espedal, aka Gaahl. He is perhaps best known for his time with Norwegian Black Metal outfit Gorgoroth, but he has also served time with God Seed, Gaahlskaag and Trelldom as well as Wardruna. However, these days most of his focus is on the eponymous Gaahl’s Wyrd.
Since their inception at the back end of 2015, Gaahls Wyrd have created a formidable live reputation, playing tracks from their lauded debut ‘GastiR – Ghosts Invited’ as well as select Gorgoroth and Trelldom tracks, and this has culminated in this mini album ‘The Humming Mountain’. Given the title, it would be reasonable to assume that this is based upon Gnolloden, a mountain in the Svalbard Archipelago which has this nickname, but it is far more complex than that and, as I interpret it, the lyrics explore consciousness, awareness and concepts from Norse creationism.
So, what about the music? Well, I put this on expecting ‘Gastir….’ Part two, and raw black metal from the outset. I was wrong. ‘The Humming Mountain’ opens with ‘The Seed’, a nine-minute sublime, understated yet epic track. This mammoth creates an introspective, ethereal ambience and slowly draw you in, becoming more claustrophobic and consuming with each minute that passes. The title track takes more of a step towards the expected black metal but the vocals remain clean and relatively buried in the mix. I’m sure this is a deliberate move and makes the droning rhythms the focal point, with a mesmerising effect.
There is a change of pace with ‘The Dwell’, which opens with a thrash riff before shifting to a more typical black metal structure. As things build, the layered vocals take precedence before a shredding solo punctuates the track. This more confrontational style is continued on ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving’ which is a swirling black metal maelstrom. The vocals remain clean and controlled creating an unnerving atmosphere of malevolence. The mini album is then brought to a close with ‘The Sleep’, a 3-minute gentle, yet sinister outro piece.
‘The Humming Mountain’ is not an easy listen and nor is it meant to be. It is engaging and challenging and requires your full attention to be fully appreciated. It is not as battering as most extreme metal albums, but this is extreme in its own cerebral, mature way and I keep finding myself pulled back to its clutches.
(8/10 Andy Pountney)
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