Review by Felix on December 10, 2023.

I was in Denmark in April/May 2005 and, naturally, I visited the memorial place “Düppeler Schanzen”, to use the German name. In April 1864, Prussian troops stormed this bulwark and gained the crucial victory in the Prussian (Austrian) / Danish war. Hard to believe, but back in the 19th century, German soldiers were able to win their wars. Ildskær from Denmark dedicate their second full-length to the bloody conflict from 1864 and they do it with style. Just like their debut, Blod & Jern is ornamented with a fantastic, contemporary artwork, painted by the German artist Wilhelm Camphausen who lived from 1816 till 1885. The booklet gives a short introduction to the historical scenario, the vinyl (red with black splashes) looks great. No doubt, these two guys from Denmark have style.

What they unfortunately do not have is a proper production. To a certain degree, Blod & Jern suffers from its dull and undifferentiated mix. One can get used to it, but it is a pity that the songs do not appear in a brighter light. Additionally, the production is not well balanced. The raw vocals (with a lot of reverb on it) almost vanish in the sound collage that the instruments create. It would be too much to say that the production castrates the actually intense songs, but I hope this promising duo will reach a better sound level when it comes to the next album. Thank God, the production is not bad enough to ruin the entire album, by far not. I am just not able to ignore the somehow stale aftertaste.

The song material does not show significant differences to their debut or their EP. Each and every song gets enough time to implement its atmosphere sustainably. Opulent designs obviously important for Ildskær. This cannot be said of breaks. The Danish historians prefer an undisturbed flow. This does not mean that they have no ideas to structure their songs in an interesting way, but they avoid abrupt changes. Either way, they like to work with different tempos, keyboards gain the upper hand from time to time (without hurting the black metal vibes) and sometimes the primal power of the songs successfully defies the weak technical realisation.

There is no downer among the five long tracks and 'Ærens Mark' is a very good example, but not the only one, for the strength that Ildskær can create. The band does not concentrate on brutality, but the guys produce a remarkable musical and atmospheric density. Sometimes they use the keyboards almost like Graveland, but this is not the main influence here. Instead, the fact that they did not readjust their style makes me think again of the scene in Quebec, where a lot of bands follow a similar approach. It is a self-confident, but never complacent way of proceeding. And with the historical concept in front of my inner eye, I feel the dramatic touch in the art of the duo. Thus, Ildskær have found a very individual niche. If they take care for a better production, their next album can be a really great one.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 10, 2023.

I was in Denmark in April/May 2005 and, naturally, I visited the memorial place “Düppeler Schanzen”, to use the German name. In April 1864, Prussian troops stormed this bulwark and gained the crucial victory in the Prussian (Austrian) / Danish war. Hard to believe, but back in the 19th century, German soldiers were able to win their wars. Ildskær from Denmark dedicate their second full-length to the bloody conflict from 1864 and they do it with style. Just like their debut, Blod & Jern is ornamented with a fantastic, contemporary artwork, painted by the German artist Wilhelm Camphausen who lived from 1816 till 1885. The booklet gives a short introduction to the historical scenario, the vinyl (red with black splashes) looks great. No doubt, these two guys from Denmark have style.

What they unfortunately do not have is a proper production. To a certain degree, Blod & Jern suffers from its dull and undifferentiated mix. One can get used to it, but it is a pity that the songs do not appear in a brighter light. Additionally, the production is not well balanced. The raw vocals (with a lot of reverb on it) almost vanish in the sound collage that the instruments create. It would be too much to say that the production castrates the actually intense songs, but I hope this promising duo will reach a better sound level when it comes to the next album. Thank God, the production is not bad enough to ruin the entire album, by far not. I am just not able to ignore the somehow stale aftertaste.

The song material does not show significant differences to their debut or their EP. Each and every song gets enough time to implement its atmosphere sustainably. Opulent designs obviously important for Ildskær. This cannot be said of breaks. The Danish historians prefer an undisturbed flow. This does not mean that they have no ideas to structure their songs in an interesting way, but they avoid abrupt changes. Either way, they like to work with different tempos, keyboards gain the upper hand from time to time (without hurting the black metal vibes) and sometimes the primal power of the songs successfully defies the weak technical realisation.

There is no downer among the five long tracks and 'Ærens Mark' is a very good example, but not the only one, for the strength that Ildskær can create. The band does not concentrate on brutality, but the guys produce a remarkable musical and atmospheric density. Sometimes they use the keyboards almost like Graveland, but this is not the main influence here. Instead, the fact that they did not readjust their style makes me think again of the scene in Quebec, where a lot of bands follow a similar approach. It is a self-confident, but never complacent way of proceeding. And with the historical concept in front of my inner eye, I feel the dramatic touch in the art of the duo. Thus, Ildskær have found a very individual niche. If they take care for a better production, their next album can be a really great one.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 20, 2023.

Finland houses some seemingly indestructible hordes that have totally inhaled the spirit of black metal. Azaghal is among these formations, Behexen prove their loyalty to the genre with every new release and Horna's debut was published in 1998, almost 20 years ago. In 2014, the persistent band released its last album up to now. "Hengen Tulet" means "Spirit Fires" and without knowing the exact intention of the artists when choosing this title, I can confirm that the album reflects the fiery spirit of the musicians. The ugly, pitch black sound of the album mirrors the brutal and misanthropic approach of the dudes. Better still, some pieces of "Hengen Tulet" show the compositional excellence of the band anew.

Horna do not kneel down to the unlimited dogma of high speed. They vary the tempo in a convincing manner. Nevertheless, high speed tracks such as "Tämä maailma odottaa" (I really like the Finish language, but I fear the only purpose of its invention was to leave me completely disturbed) send pleasant shivers down my spine. Effervescent drum rolls meet merciless guitars, the chorus works and each and every note increases the joy of listening. Better still, songs like the subsequent "Saatanalle" are cut from the same cloth. Horna celebrate these typical, life-denying riffs that express the mentality of the sub genre in a very good way. The dark production sets the guitars in the right light. The hoarse vocals come into their own as well, while the snare drum sounds slightly hollow. Anyway, the mix matches the expectations.

More problematic is the fact that the band runs out of ideas as the full-length continues. Some songs of the album's second half fall by the wayside in comparison with the other tracks, because they somewhat lack of determination and brutality. Slightly uninspired mid-tempo parts, for example in "Sodan Roihu", characterize large sections of these tunes. It is therefore good to know that the closer is able to build a bridge to the first tracks in view of vehemence, darkness and musicality. The Finnish bitterness returns and leaves no room for lukewarm sounds. Thus, the final song closes the cycle and the small number of rather average tracks is quickly forgotten.

After all, there can be no doubt that Horna deliver value for money. Already the great opener with its well integrated tempo variations is a black milestone that wallows in profound negativity without neglecting the appropriate degree of melodies. Unstoppable when preferring high speed, merciless when using rather slow rhythms - that is the way how "Hengen Tulet", which clocks in at 48 minutes, challenges your stereo system, at least during the first 30 minutes of its playtime. The band has still an enormous amount of creativity and everybody who is interested in honest black metal should give this work a chance. Indeed, it is not absolutely flawless but authentic as well as fascinating and a good soundtrack for your next barbecue on a clearing somewhere in the Serbian woods.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 20, 2023.

Finland houses some seemingly indestructible hordes that have totally inhaled the spirit of black metal. Azaghal is among these formations, Behexen prove their loyalty to the genre with every new release and Horna's debut was published in 1998, almost 20 years ago. In 2014, the persistent band released its last album up to now. "Hengen Tulet" means "Spirit Fires" and without knowing the exact intention of the artists when choosing this title, I can confirm that the album reflects the fiery spirit of the musicians. The ugly, pitch black sound of the album mirrors the brutal and misanthropic approach of the dudes. Better still, some pieces of "Hengen Tulet" show the compositional excellence of the band anew.

Horna do not kneel down to the unlimited dogma of high speed. They vary the tempo in a convincing manner. Nevertheless, high speed tracks such as "Tämä maailma odottaa" (I really like the Finish language, but I fear the only purpose of its invention was to leave me completely disturbed) send pleasant shivers down my spine. Effervescent drum rolls meet merciless guitars, the chorus works and each and every note increases the joy of listening. Better still, songs like the subsequent "Saatanalle" are cut from the same cloth. Horna celebrate these typical, life-denying riffs that express the mentality of the sub genre in a very good way. The dark production sets the guitars in the right light. The hoarse vocals come into their own as well, while the snare drum sounds slightly hollow. Anyway, the mix matches the expectations.

More problematic is the fact that the band runs out of ideas as the full-length continues. Some songs of the album's second half fall by the wayside in comparison with the other tracks, because they somewhat lack of determination and brutality. Slightly uninspired mid-tempo parts, for example in "Sodan Roihu", characterize large sections of these tunes. It is therefore good to know that the closer is able to build a bridge to the first tracks in view of vehemence, darkness and musicality. The Finnish bitterness returns and leaves no room for lukewarm sounds. Thus, the final song closes the cycle and the small number of rather average tracks is quickly forgotten.

After all, there can be no doubt that Horna deliver value for money. Already the great opener with its well integrated tempo variations is a black milestone that wallows in profound negativity without neglecting the appropriate degree of melodies. Unstoppable when preferring high speed, merciless when using rather slow rhythms - that is the way how "Hengen Tulet", which clocks in at 48 minutes, challenges your stereo system, at least during the first 30 minutes of its playtime. The band has still an enormous amount of creativity and everybody who is interested in honest black metal should give this work a chance. Indeed, it is not absolutely flawless but authentic as well as fascinating and a good soundtrack for your next barbecue on a clearing somewhere in the Serbian woods.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10