Now I know that that was quite a strange paragraph to open a review with but I wrote it with a good reason. Italian black metal horde Hornwood Fell is hugely inspired by the old school of Scandinavian metal and bands such as Ulver, Darkthrone, Borknagar and Satyricon. When the band was founded in 2013, they were on their way to sound exactly like those early black metal lords, mostly like their first albums by the way. However, things change and so did this act.
Hornwood Fell is still quite loyal to the traditional black metal style but gradually this band started coming up with atmospheric elements, often clean vocals and technical ingenuity. The result is a much more varied sound, while still being brutal, dark and aggressive as hell. The majority of the songs still drive on an vast array of blast beats and fierce riffs. The being said: that drummer is an insanely wicked animal. What a performance!!!
For the main part, 'Yheri' is a ferocious slab of black metal which is quite impossible to ignore if you're into the genre. Songs like opener 'Walking in the Woods' or my personal favorite 'At His Awakening' lift the overall quality to an immense level. There seem to be some influences from today's post-black metal scene as well, judging from the massive wall-of-sound I'm hearing and from the strange elements of noise which often appears.
So check it out, I dare you. This act succeeded in mixing the bleakness of Burzum with the intensity of Limbonic Art and the strangeness of Sigh or Ved Buens Ende. If that doesn't convince you of getting your hands on a copy of this album, perhaps you shouldn't call yourself a black metal fan....
Serge