Det bortglömda hatet

Here’s an interesting one for all you underground black metal fans out there. Swedish one-man outfit Hilning, a more recent project by Andreas Baier (here using the monicker Aldriendir), unleashed its first demo upon this filthy planet in 2020, and well, for a first introduction this is pretty good stuff. Especially on the more atmospheric side of black metal does Hilning excel. The production and mix are both well-balanced, the fact that this is a demo makes this even more impressive.

Opener ‘Lunariske Drömmar’ is an excellent track which immediately caught my attention. It has a constant dark and haunting atmosphere, created by the cold and eerie keyboard sound. More than once do these synths remind me of Fear Factory’s iconic Demanufacture-album. Admittedly, it’s a strange association, FF’s and Hilning’s musical styles have absolutely nothing in common after all. Yet, these sounds evoke the same eerie, shivering feeling with me. The track has a constant galloping pace, a smart choice by Aldriendir to keep the rhythm going.

Also the third track ‘Låt yggdrasil brinna’ is a very good one. ‘Good’ is even an understatement, because that main synth theme... ooh how that gets stuck between your ears for days! This track has the same galloping pace as the first one, is filled with atmosphere, and combines some clean chanting that complements the flow of the song very well.

The two other tracks offered here show a different side to Hilning. Their main themes are more guitar-based and thrive less on atmosphere. Something rather bizarre though in the last track, as it starts with an acoustic intro like you would expect from an epic, melodic or folk black metal band, but after about 30 seconds it suddenly gets cut off in favour of the song’s main theme. This was either a production error, or just a very bad idea to do it this way.

On this first demo, Aldriendir is giving us an overview of what he’s capable of. He approaches black metal from different angles and explores different substyles, but it does have a downside: this demo is not the most consistent one, composition-wise. The least you can say, is that there’s no lack of diversity and variation, but it leaves me wondering which direction Aldriendir really wants to go in with this project? Atmospheric black metal, a more melodic approach, or a more traditional and straight-forward style?

In the end, the 4 songs on this demo are all actually good. Individually, each song would at least be worth an 80+ score, but the lack of coherence as a whole will cost this demo a few points. All in all, a more than interesting first effort by Hilning and a clear indication that more good stuff is waiting to surface.

75/100

Recommended tracks: Lunariska drömmar, Låt yggdrasil brinna