In a land filled with witch house acts that batter and bruise and pillage the vignettes of a thriving scene rises one act that can put a decent spin on everything that has come before. In simpler terms V▲LH▲LL is probably one of the few witch house acts that does something completely different from the rest but this is a redundant topic that’s been discussed time and time again. Then again it’s tough to even call them a witch house act at all anymore considering everything they do to deviate from the genre. Sure enough they do pull influence from it so I guess you could describe them as folk-house…Or something else that doesn’t sound dumb.
Anyway, I’ve been following this duo for quite a while and I do believe I’ve reviewed all their major albums and if not then shame on me. I’ll dig out the old reviews from the archive one day but until then we’ll unearth their most recent album Skymningsdjur. While I won’t say that this is as groundbreaking or as refreshing as their previous albums as V▲LH▲LL has cracked a code on how they’d like to sound, I will say that it’s still a damned good representation of what only V▲LH▲LL can do.
Going through the entire album at least five times by this point I can say that there is not an unsuccessful song on here but that does not mean I’m going to go through every single track and explain the whys and the hows. Highlights. We’re going to do highlights today. And the highlight is going to begin with the introductory track Dusk. Dream like xylophones play over glitchy industrial antics to a bewildering beat. Though this track lasts but a little over a minute I feel as if it’s like walking into Narnia, so to speak. Lifting the veil and setting the mood for a universe unbeknownst to man.
Nocturnal Eyes was one of the first tracks I heard off the album and it’s a fascinating specimen. Gutteral growls from a draugr clash with cleaner, EDM-like vox. Squealing witch house synths light up the background while ancient tunes convey a ritualistic-like center piece. As I said earlier. Folk-house.
I am also a big fan of the ominous beats found within Little Noises. I sometimes use this comparison a little too much in reviews but it’s true when I say that this sounds like a gruesome nursery rhyme, something to get the little tikes to sleep. But only if you also want them to have nightmares and scream and cry when the midnight hour strikes and they discuss some six foot tall wendigo outside their window. Still there’s room for a little breakdown at the end of the track that gives it a dance edge and might just have your little ones raving.
Last track I wanna talk about is En Tid Om Ett Tag. Though a lot of the songs on the album has a bit of a darker edge I feel as if V▲LH▲LL went for more of a melancholic approach here despite continued use of their angrier, growlier chords. It’s a fantastic second-to-last song.
Basically if you liked V▲LH▲LL before you’re still going to like them now. I don’t feel as if this album is an evolution but an extension to their existence which is never a bad thing. Hail to thee, V▲LH▲LL.
