It's quite an enigmatic release, this debut from Finland's Hexvessel. It's enigmatic in that it's profoundly strange; in some places it's like the alternate soundtrack to "The Wicker man", exuding an off-kilter folk presence that is somewhat unnerving, while in other places it's simply beautiful, as if this is the music of the fairies. Of course, given the name of both band and album, together with the ritualistic cover art and black metal-type song titles, it comes as quite a surprise that's there's no metal here whatsoever. Instead, "Dawnbearer" is just under an hour of psychedelic folk music that conjures up visions of lace-clad maidens dancing around a hayfield on a late summer's eve. That might sound a bit strange, but give this a spin and you'll know exactly what I mean. If occult '70s folk is your thing then this will quite possibly be your release of the decade. - John Norby
Inspired by early motion picture magicians like Stan Brakhage, Harry Smith, Isidore Isou and Viking Eggeling, it features an abstract take on Palm Shadowplay using "a vintage British overhead projector, an off-white canvas, scissors, paper, 8 hands and a fishtank full of flammable liquids". The colorations are natural and come from the way the lens refracts light at various distances, much like a prism. The effect has been "accentuated and slightly colour-corrected to fit the overall style".
me src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/23166122?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="580" height="326?hd=1&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0">me>
Hexvessel