Häxenzijrkell

Today, Amor Fati Productions announces October 4th as the international release date for Häxenzijrkell‘s highly anticipated third album, Portal, on CD and vinyl LP formats.

Ever since the release of their first demo tape back in 2016, Häxenzijrkell marched on their very own path towards the bottomless pit of darkness. However, it was the band’s two albums for Amor Fati – 2020’s Die Nachtseite and 2022’s Urgrund – where that bottomless pit dropped out completely. What opened up was a maw both majestic and horrific, ritualistic and ceremonial but by no means sound without purpose and intent. That each of those two albums were divided into three epic tracks was perhaps not coincidence; that one album was suffocating and the other more spacious was definitely not coincidence. From resolutely raw black metal in the beginning to something idiosyncratic and strangely spectral despite the obvious heft, Häxenzijrkell were skillfully creating their own soundworld with few present analogues.

And so it goes with the aptly titled Portal, where Häxenzijrkell bring past, present, and future into startling (dis)harmony. The album begins attackingly enough, a metronomic pendulum pulsing beyond control, riffs slicing and spiraling in an infinite vortex. But now expanded to five tracks across 44 minutes, Häxenzijrkell‘s third album reveals yet more depth – in all senses of the word – and becomes the fullest manifestation of their still-expanding lexicon. The watchword here is patience, as these five non-less-epic tracks are never in any hurry to reveal their true selves; tension and terror build s-l-o-w-l-y, even if the overall tempo is decidedly more energetic than past works, or at least more measured and insistent. Here expanded to a trio, Häxenzijrkell have also found a symbiosis between atmosphere and songcraft; even when riff and rhythm drop away and there’s (tense / terrifying) quietude lingering like a spectre, the usage feels dramatic and effortlessly transitional, marking a moment that’s integral to the flow of each mesmerizing movement. That that expanded lineup expertly uses both molten heaviness and shimmering ambience equally well should speak volumes about the band’s growth on Portal. All this culminates in the grandiose and hauntingly gorgeous closer, “Aeon,” which sounds like a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse – simultaneously.

The keys are thus laid at the listener’s feet…do what thou wilt. To commemorate the release of Portal, Häxenzijrkell will embark upon a European tour with labelmates Nubivagant (dates after the jump). 

In the meantime, hear the brand-new track “Atziluth” here:

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Häxenzijrkell’s Portal

1. Atziluth [6:27]
2. Beriah [7:29]
3. Yetzirah [6:10]
4. Assiah [9:46]
5. Aeon [13:12]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/haexenzijrkell 

www.amor-fati-productions.de 
www.amorfatiproductions.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod

Today, German black metal cult Häxenzijrkell stream their highly anticipated debut album, Die Nachtseite. Set for international release on September 30th via Amor Fati Productions, hear Häxenzijrkell‘s Die Nachtseite in its entirety here:

Ever since the release of their first demo tape back in 2016, Häxenzijrkell marched on their very own path towards the bottomless pit of darkness. Raw and resolute black metal was the German duo’s foundation; the mysteries of the beyond was their goal. And thirsty and miserable was that march, stridently suffocating the listener (and perhaps themselves) with epic-length screeds of despair and dread, culminating in two more EPs as well as split EPs with LVTHN and Brånd in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

Now, the bottom of that bottomless pit drops out completely, and the result is Häxenzijrkell‘s long-awaited debut album, Die Nachtseite. Sonically consistent with their prior works yet wielding new twists to their trademark horror & howl, Die Nachtseite marks a further step: a ritual divided in three parts – the Path, the Flame, and the Awakening. Musically, the duo continue where the recent split with Brånd left off, building alternately dense/spacious soundwalls nevertheless staggeringly tall and menacing. Like past Häxenzijrkell compositions, the three epics comprising the 37-minute album easily walk into double-digit length, and for good reason: their utterly sinister atmospheres envelop the listener like a slowly-moving, hauntingly-hovering fog. More immersive than ever, the duo’s black metal becomes transcendental, so removed from – and aiming far beyond – regular, rote humanity. These are the echoes from the deepest pits of the Abyss!

Cover and tracklisting are as follows:

Tracklisting for Häxenzijrkell’s Die Nachtseite

1. Part 1: Auf der Schwelle [10:44]
2. Part 2: Unter sieben Sternen [10:12]
3. Part 3: Im Labyrinth der Dunkelheit [15:27]

MORE INFO:
www.facebook.com/haexenzijrkell 

https://shop.amor-fati-productions.de/en/