Original black metal has been dying almost since it was invented. In its death throes it has cast off some weird shit, like Industrial Black like Trollheims Grott and the carnival chaos of Arcturus, for example. It’s good shit, but weird as hell. Just when everybody thinks that black metal has finally perished – however lamentable that would be – something happens. Something like Hellveto, in this case.
Hellveto, a one man army from somewhere in the Baltics, plays original black as if the last 15 years never happened. Continuing in the footsteps of early Satyricon, Burzum, Old Man’s Childe and Dissection – and of course Bathory – Hellveto travels through the war-torn landscapes of Hellheim and Niflheim. In the end though, Hellveto is strictly its own kind of music – perhaps with some thin connections to other Slavic/Russian bands like Pagan Reign and Moonsorrow. But, as said, strictly its own. Neoheresy is an odyssey – or more likely: a trip to Hell with no going back. It takes the listeners, by black dragon wings, into hostile lands. Windswept volcanoes and frozen forests. This is the good old days returning. The mourning sound, the utterly grim vocalization of pain and hatred. Its easily definable as eastern European music, but its hard to say how or why. It’s something in the rhythm, in the melodies – such tender melodies, it’s a wonder they don’t drown.
As a one-man-band (a great tradition within the black metal scene) Hellveto does a very good job. The sole member – known simply as “L” – is a devil of a composer, and plays most instruments very well. The drums lack a bit, so Hellveto could probably do with a drummer, but on the other hand: It wouldn’t have that feel of the early 1990’s if the drums were tight, would it?
All lyrics are in the mother tongue of Hellveto – which adds to the occult mood of the album, when you do not understand it. I don’t. The occult and mysterious theme has always held a great place in this genre, and Neoheresy has some extreme examples. The song “Herezja” holds all the dark secrets and vile ritualistic behavior any black metal fan could ever want. That, and on top, it’s a musical masterpiece, a genre-definer. Like the rest of the album.
Black Metal isn’t dead – it just moved eastwards!
