Review: Høstsol's debut album "Länge Leve Döden"

So, have you heard the album Länge Leve Döden by Høstsol?

It came out last month, more precisely on the 13th, and what a masterpiece. Sadly, I only had the chance to listen to it yesterday, but better late than never. And this album is just so good, I would hate to know I had missed it altogether. 

So today, while listening to it again, I decided to write some lines about it.

Høstsol formed in 2020 and Länge Leve Döden is their first full-length. I'm sure you know all the musicians from other bands and projects they are or have been part of. And they are Cernunnus (Manes), Kalmos (ex-Barathrum), Rainer Tuominkanto (Amarrada) and Niklas Kvarforth (Shining).

I'm quite pleased. I had no idea what I was about to listen to, and as soon as I heard the first track As Seen Through the Eyes of the Prophet, passed the intro bit (a long bit in fact, which sounds like a choir of beautiful dissonant voices and sounds, bells included, and atmospheric sounds, finally blending with the actual song), my jaw dropped.

It is, no doubt, very old school Black Metal music. And you can tell in each song, how experienced these musicians are, and how they really gave everything in the composing and recording of the album. Not that only old school style Black Metal is good, but that it can still be very good, even if made now.

Länge Leve Döden has only 5 tracks, and long, all of them phenomenal. Can't chose a favourite track.

The whole album is so full of feel, melody, aggressiveness, anger, sadness, and so much pain. If you close your eyes you can feel it too. Everything, from the intros to the continuation of each song, is so perfectly arranged and aligned. There is a very dark and deep and emotional vibe, it is absolutely beautiful. The vocals are stunning, and so full of suffering and darkness, and sometimes even a feeling of emptiness, if this makes any sense. Kvarforth really outdid himself this time. And at the same time, these vocals pair perfectly with everything else, even with the most melodic and deep riffs. 

Länge Leve Döden sounds very genuine and is very addictive. I could listen to it over and over, all day long. It gives me that kind of vibe I'd never want to get rid of. 

It's possible to tell when a group of musicians can make very good music, but this is beyond very good music, it's perfect. I don't like the word perfect, but can't really find a replacement right now. It is just so bloody good.