Hexvessel – No Holier Temple (2012)

Formed by Mat "Kvohst" McNerney (ex-DHG, Code, etc, etc), this relatively new Psychedelic Folk band has made quite an impact with their debut album “Dawnbearer” and with “No Holier Temple” they show that their epic first release was no fluke. Featuring eleven haunting tracks that bring back the sultriness of the 70’s psychedelic music with a Folk/Doom edge that nobody else in the scene seems to be able to pull off, this album is well on its way to our top 10 of 2012 list.

With a considerably more ‘sophisticated’ sound that any of Kvohst’s older bands, his enchanting vocals reach new heights in this very well crafted and highly diverse release. After the mysterious intro “Heaven and Earth Magic”, Hexvessel sets sails with the eerie epic “Woods to Conjure”. In this track the band immediately establishes a very dense occult feeling with a very cool backdrop of choir-like vocals. Our favorite moment in this song comes around the 2:20 minute mark when a sexy saxophone comes into the scene making this song completely intoxicating.

Immediately following we have “Wilderness Is”, a track that has a vibe very similar to Tenhi and such band thanks to perfectly crafted string instruments. The lullaby-esque “A Letter in Birch Bark” delivers more atmospheric magic with very well placed elements that greatly add to the dramatic feeling of this song. Featuring powerful Doom-like riffs, “His Portal Tomb” is a very emotional track that nicely evolves during its 10 minute length with plenty of ups and downs, until it culminates with excellent vocals and very well crafted guitar work.

The seemingly straightforward “Are You Coniferous” quickly takes a turn for the deranged and has a very ‘festive’ and downright creepy ending that you can’t afford to miss. Our favorite track in this release is the very folk-ish “Sacred Marriage”. In this song Marja provides very dark backing vocals to Kvohst’s gifted pipes. The very calm music involves acoustics guitars and a very sad sounding violin thrown into the mix, all of this evolving into psychedelic guitar parts that are nicely accompanied by magical organ section.

Before closing the release, “Unseen Sun” provides a very solid 13-minute epic song that feels like a race against time with its excellent build-up section. There combination of psychedelic and folk elements is outstanding in this track, showcasing Hexvessel’s magical powers when it comes to crafting brilliant tracks that defy musical genres. Closing with “Your Head Is Reeling”, the band goes full-on 70’s psychedelic mode. The combination of Kvohst’s vocals with the vintage sounding guitars is amazing and works perfectly; making us wonder how would the band sound covering classics from the period.

 With such grace and eeriness Hexvessel has managed to greatly improve on their debut release with “No Holier Temple”. The band has an excellent ability to blend psychedelic and folk elements in a magical way to produce very intoxicating songs that will submerge you in the bands creepy world. If you are a fan of Jess and the Ancient Ones, The Devil's Blood, etc, but also like some Folk in your music, then this is the band and release for you.

Release: September 7th, 2012

Genre: Psychedelic Folk/Doom Metal

Country: Finland