By the opening sound of sharpening steel you will know you are about to experience a real one. The debut full length album from Hekseblad has arrived. Two years in the making, and aeons of brewing mystic energies coalesced into a potent force of magic, mystery, and mythology. The album title of this Witcher-themed project is named after an old keep where witchers of the School of the Wolf are trained, and those cues of primal hunters and warrior spirit are immediately deployed from the first track through riffs wielded with regal impiety, swirling atmosphere of ancient mists, and folksong passages of post-battle introspection. The old school spirit of essential black metal melodicism burns with an incandescent ferocity, through this exquisitely structured album. The music of Frosk follows some truly engaging and inspired narratives, given voice through the snarls, rasps, growls and clean folksong vocals of Bruxa. Influences of Emperor and Dissection are given more imposing presence through dense riffs that remind me of the impenetrably crushing Death Fortress, and the intensity is leavened with passages of piano and harpsicord and other details of sound and production, including a guest solo on the title track performed by Sörjande of Mourning by Morning, that combine into an album that exudes rich character. A vivid banner, planted and unfurled to mark this point along the path of US black metal. The album is released under the auspices of Hypnotic Dirge Records on CD format today, with an LP edition coming in June. Digital format available direct from the band: https://heksebladusbm.bandcamp.com/album/kaer-morhen Band: Hekseblad Album: Kaer Morhen Year: 2024 Label: Hypnotic Dirge Records Country: USA Genre: Black Metal Transmissions links: https://linktr.ee/transmissionsftd Album: https://heksebladusbm.bandcamp.com/album/kaer-morhen Tracklist: 1. School of the Wolf 00:00 2. A Grain of Truth (Nivellen's Waltz) 04:16 3. The White Flame 08:10 4. The Taste of Ash 13:30 5. Ithlinne's Prophecy 18:44 6. Kaer Morhen 20:53 7. Mastercrafted 26:02 8. The Fall of the Northern Realms 30:58 9. Sodden 37:41 10. Vatt'ghern 42:21 More about the artist and label: - Hekseblad - Linktree: https://linktr.ee/hekseblad Bandcamp: https://heksebladusbm.bandcamp.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heksebladusbm/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/hekseblad Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5NyZmJZUDURORN1QiTbiZT?si=S4kg05FOSpqOxGaf8jCPJg Metal Archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Hekseblad/3540487212 - Hypnotic Dirge - Web: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/ Bandcamp: http://hypnoticdirgerecords.bandcamp.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/hypnoticdirgerecords Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hypnoticdirgerecords YouTube: null Metal Archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/labels/Hypnotic_Dirge_Records/1096 Uploaded on behalf of Hekseblad and Hypnotic Dirge, with thanks. - Transmissions links - LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/transmissionsftd Instagram https://www.instagram.com/transmissionsfromthedark/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/transmissionsftd/ Twitter https://twitter.com/meatbrk Transmissions logo by Rotting Reign Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rotting_reign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cavanpatchwork Transmissions Banner image photography by Alison Scarpulla – untitled, 2010. #BlackMetal #MelodicBlackMetal #USBlackMetal