Häxkapell’s latest offering, Om Jordens Blod och Urgravens Grepp (“Of Earth’s Blood and the Grave’s Grasp”), released on January 17, 2025, via Nordvis Produktion, stands as a testament to the band’s evolution in the black metal genre. Spearheaded by Oraklet, Häxkapell delves deep into the cyclical nature of life and death, crafting a soundscape that is both haunting and immersive.
The album masterfully blends traditional black metal elements with folk and atmospheric nuances. Incorporating instruments like the violin, viola, willow flute, and hand drum, the tracks exude an ancient, primal energy that transports listeners to the remote landscapes of Haparanda, Sweden. The production, handled by Oraklet and mastered by Tore Stjerna at Necromorbus Studio, ensures a polished yet raw auditory experience.
With the opener Satans Rötter (Satan’s Roots), it immediately becomes clear what kind of album we’ve landed on—Atmospheric Black Metal heavily infused with Folk elements. Especially in this opener, there are moments that bring bands like Moonsorrow or Helheim to mind. Metamorfos kicks things up a notch right away, though the Pagan undertones remain present. During Urgravens Grepp är Hårt Och Kallt, the Swedes shift slightly closer to the Norwegian border, as I detect some old Enslaved influences in the riffs. The heavy violin melodies add a beautiful second layer, a great addition to an otherwise fairly traditional-sounding track.
Time to light the campfire, grab a flute, and bring out some acoustic guitars. With the light throat-singing elements, the band briefly takes a different route—the pure folk path, to be precise. Then, with Vindar Från Förr, we continue merrily onward, this time with a bit more clean singing and once again, that violin. It all feels a bit more relaxed.
Closer Den Sanna Modern Talar is, at 11:30, the longest track on the album. Somehow, it’s also the most diverse, featuring plenty of tempo shifts and occasional detours back into folk territory.
With Om Jordens Blod och Urgravens Grepp, Häxkapell has crafted a solid follow-up to their 2021 album Eldhymner. However, I occasionally felt the production lacked a bit of punch—the hard-hitting impact I was expecting. But in the end, that doesn’t take away from the overall experience.
80/100
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