Hädanfärd, Avoghetens Besvartade Akallelser, Sweden, Mysticism Productions, Mysticism003 12″ vinyl (2014)
At first I thought this compilation of various songs, a couple of which came out on an EP “Destruktiva Reflektioner” earlier in 2014, looked ideal as an entry point into this Swedish one-man BM act. Hädanfärd man Sir N is or has been a member of various black metal projects, a couple of which have been in tandem with another guy Swartadauthuz, some of whose works under the Azelisassath banner I’ve reviewed elsewhere here at TSP. So I guess it’s only fair I check out the stuff by S’s partner-in-crime in Hädanfärd.
For underground black metal that focuses on darkness, mysticism and melancholy, the songs on this collection are bouncy and upbeat in their rhythms and the speed at which they go. Even when the melodies are meant to be sad, the ambience should be anguished and the vocals have a quavering quality, the pace is too fast, even rushed, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel or think as a listener: the messages being sent out from these songs are far too contradictory. There is too much being pumped out for any mood or feeling being communicated to make much impression.
If only it had been slowed down, the music itself isn’t bad as the guitars have a twangy tone and there is a dark atmosphere behind them. The harsh BM guitar grind can be quite menacing though it has a skimming quality because of the speed of the music. Drumming is ordinary and the less I mention it, the better. As the album progresses, the music becomes boring and grates on the nerves as hardly anything is done with the basic minimal style. The singing ranges from corny to the plain cartoonish and kitsch, especially in parts where a heroic male chorus bursts into merry song – which I don’t think is quite what the Hädanfärd project originally had in mind. The ambience goes stale and the whole album ends up sounding forced and mechanical.
By the end of it all – mercifully this is not a long recording, although it felt that way – I’m feeling really cheesed off with the tricky effects, the spacier-than-spaced-out atmospheres, the kitsch singing and the doodly melodies which fail to compensate for a lack of ideas. The whole thing sounds silly and self-indulgent.
Contact: Mysticism Productions, [email protected]