The Music

The Thoughts

The ruin of a generation is shattering.
In this hour, the eyes of the one who watches fill
With the gold of his stars.

Georg Trakl was one of the pioneers of expressionism in its poetry form, an art movement which started in the early 20th century with the purpose of using powerful emotions and moods to express one’s view of the world. “Helian” was, according to him, his most precious and painful poem ever written; dealing with death, decadence, existential crisis and man’s struggle with religion. With this topic on the table, avant-garde masterminds Ayloss (Spectral Lore) and Adam Kalmbach (Jute Gyte) took on the task of recreating Trakl’s work musically, with each musician expressing Helian’s sorrow in their own way. Kalmbach’s representation of this track uses his trademark microtonal black metal, starting off slowly, then exploding. The second part of Adam’s “Helian” feels like the instruments are decaying, as a tree slowly giving in to autumn’s death door, representing Trakl’s last verses of the poem. Spectral Lore’s version is way more abrasive, aggressive, and psychedelic; with Ayloss’ shouted screams in the distance, never giving in to decay, you can feel the song’s angst since it begins to take motion until the end of it.

Helian is dramatic, emotionally charged and powerful; another challenging release from both projects, which have no signs of stopping.

A digital promotional copy of the album was sent to us.

The Links

I, Voidhanger
Bandcamp

Jute Gyte
Bandcamp

Spectral Lore
Bandcamp

The Recs

Jute Gyte – Oviri
Siberian Hell Sounds/Convulsing
Ehnahre – The Marrow

An advanced digital promo copy of this album was sent to us for review.