Gaahls Wyrd “The Humming Mountain”

            
            I first came into contact with ex-God Seed and ex-Gorgoroth singer, Gaahls’ solo outing with the first single released from their debut album: GastiR- Ghosts Invited, the title track. It was a strange song and haunting, which caught my attention, but not enough to continue to pursue the album itself. Fast forward a couple years and The Humming Mountain came out. Once again I was intrigued by the haunting environment of opener “The Seed”, brought out by the melancholic and sinister acoustic guitars by Lust Kilman, and thus bought the album.

While listening to it from start to finish this summer, it was “The Dwell” that got me hooked, with the fast paced guitar and drums and amazing keyboard textures, courtesy of Iver Sandoy (to me on of the most intriguing contributors to the Eps’ overall atmosphere). It is a lively song and the standout from the album, since most of the other songs lean on the darkness, while this track gives the listener a glimpse of light and hope.

The Ep itself works as an interesting and cohesive concept, exploring the boundaries of black metal, and taking to another level, more on par with folk acts like Wovenhand, and Steve Von Till at times. Gaahls’ voice is the driving force behind the whole concept, but the instruments are all equal in the mix and most importantly give all the songs a strange and eerie atmosphere, making the listener feel like something is always off, even on the standout track, “The Dwell”. It plays like a horror movie, except it gets inside your head, leaving you feel enthralled and cautious at the same time.

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Support/Buy the Album: https://gaahlswyrd.bandcamp.com/album/the-humming-mountain

The Band: https://www.gaahlswyrd.com/