Horna - Nyx - Hymnejä Yölle

Horna is a black metal band from Finland, who formed 1994. The band has been extremely prolific; “Nyx - Hymnejä Yölle” is their 12th full-length album. Over the years they have also released two demos, 11 EPs, 20 splits, three compilations, and three live albums!

Despite their long history, “Nyx - Hymnejä Yölle,” is my first exposure to their music.

Their sound embraces the cold tradilion of Finnish extreme metal. From beginning to end, this album is as cold as the North winds. 

But even blood still flows from under the ice—each of these six tracks are visceral and uncompromising. The production is not quite as raw as I was expecting but that's a good thing. There is lot of decent moments in the bass guitar and bass drums so the production allows for the band to naturally release their aggression without burying the rhythm section. 

The result is an album that is fast paced, flows effortlessly and sounds meaty as fuck.

“Hymni I” opens the floodgates with the bands brand of fury exploding outward. The drums compliment the songs very well. There are very subtle hints of melody, especially in the later half. But there isn't much here that if flashy—this pure 100% uncompromising black metal.

“Hymni II” has a surprisingly catchy beat to it, the drums adding an uncommon movement to the song. The riffs here are slightly more atmopsheric but still very much presented in a grounded way.

The drums continue to build up their speedy intricacies while the guitars and bass ramp up the infectious energy. The middle part is slower with a lot of groove. 

“Hymni III” Sounds a little like what mid period Enslaved might do. Their is a catchy, almost rock and roll groove/beat to the song. It's a nice twist but the bands singular vision for going for the throat isn't compromised.

“Hymni IV” and “Hymni V” are the two most vicious songs on the album. Both of them bring out the best of lighting fast black metal. The former uses light atmopsheric textures to add a layer to the song. 

The latter is more haunting due to the clever use of clean wails. But the depraved blackened vocals are icing on the cake.

The last song, “Kuoleva Lupaus,” is the albums wildcard. It's entirely clean in both vocals and music but the feel of the song doesn't make it out of place.

Horna's “Nyx - Hymnejä Yölle,” is a journey that does a lot with its sound without overly relying on the many elements the genre has but up over the years.