Himmelszelt

Himmelszet showcases the talents of two experimental black metal bands. Skagos is a Cascadian black metal band hailing from Canada's Vancouver Island. Their image and vibe is heavily entrenched in nature. Tomhet is a one man ambient black metal band. Originally from Canada, Tomhet has relocated to Canyon Country in California. The talent both of these bands display is nothing to scoff at. Whether it be Skagos's primal atmospheres or Tomhet's chilling ambiance, the music is authentic and engrossing.

While Skagos's performance doesn't quite reach the soaring highs they later reached on their debut full length, they come very close. Few bands display such a rich atmosphere as Skagos does. With Skagos's music, everything has its place, everything is there for a reason. Their experimentation always has purpose. Their music ebbs and flows in a completely organic and natural manner; nothing seems forced. Skagos's music ranges from ferociously aggressive to calm and subtle. While both sides of Skagos are apparent on Himmelszet, their calm side is what really shines through on this release. Besides the typical metal instruments, acoustic guitars and tribal drums are used. Their amazing ability to create unique soundscapes draws the listener into an ancient primordial world. Their music evokes images of an old-growth moss covered forest, unsoiled by mankind.

With Skagos's "Apotheosis (and Lo, the Gate of Himmelszelt)", the listener is treated to an emotion-filled build up and release. Skagos's ability to go from a subtle melody played over acoustic chords to pounding drums and distorted electric guitar in a matter of seconds, and make it sound completely natural, is astounding. "Procession" is a behemoth of a song. Rather than mindlessly rasp over a few recycled tremolo riffs with a drum machine plodding away in the background, as some black metal bands choose to do, Skagos creates a musical journey. As usual for the band, the song does not conform to any preconceived conventions, and certainly does not adhere to the verse-chorus formula. The song builds up and climaxes multiple times, doing it differently every time. At the end of song, there is a point that may be the highlight of the album. After a very pleasing acoustic section, they break out into tremolo riffs. But instead of tortured wails, Skagos shows that they can also use clean vocals effectively. The song ends in what appears to be a field recording of the Ocean. "Orthodox Painted with the Ash of Pine" is a melodic black metal song interspersed with breathtaking atmospheric sections. At the end of this song, Ray Hawes shows that he is no hack on the bass, playing subtly along with the acoustic guitar. Skagos gets 99 out of 100 for their captivating vision.

Tomhet's side of the split consists mostly of ambient, with the brief interruption of
a black metal song. Tomhet's ambient is simple and effective. It is not convoluted, and a natural atmosphere is allowed to progress. This side starts out with the short and calming "Epoch." The next song, "Journey through a Frozen Forest", is really a shame. Without it, this split would have been perfect from start to finish. This song wavers between two parts. There is no problem with the first part; it actually is quite good. A memorable menacing riff is played over a furious double bass drum section. Its the second part that is the problem. The guitar gets pushed to the side as an annoying repetitive drum beat takes over. The vocals sound like a pig being slaughtered by a chain saw. It all seems like a very weak attempt at sounding like Anaal Nathrakh. While the song isn't completely bad, it is not up to par with the rest of the album.

Tomhet's next track, "Desolate Palace", is a very discordant dark ambient song. While it is certainly not for everyone, it is hard to deny that it is very good for what it is. While it is easy to write off as directionless noise, further listening will prove that the track contains a unique atmosphere and there is method to the chaos. "Gelid" sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. It draws the listener into a cold and detached atmosphere. It almost feels like being stranded alone in space, with nothing but coldness and darkness to keep you company. "Descension (and thus Solitude)" is a worthy way to end the split. It is hard to find other ambient songs that match this one in quality. It is simple, yet amazing. The impeccable atmosphere found in this song is unparalleled by the mass of uninspired ambient projects that have recently sprouted up. Tomhet gets 94 out of 100 for their otherworldly atmospheres. This number would be 98, if not for the black metal mishap.

Many things could go wrong with a split. The two band's sounds could clash, resulting in a baffling listening experience. One band could be good and one bad, resulting in a lopsided split. Fortunately, Himmelszelt suffers no such fate. Although there is the agitating spastic section in Tomhet's black metal song, this does not last long and is minor enough to overlook. Many bands save their good material for full lengths, and put the leftovers on splits. Both of these bands have the integrity to not make a pointless release plagued with filler. Himmelszelt is an intriguing offering from two bands that are pushing past the boundaries and creating compelling music.