The esteemed realms of Finland have spawned a mighty new order, whose members are already known from acts venturing past the known boundaries of metal extremity, and HENGET likewise channels their own genre-defying nature into the first manifestation titled Beyond North Star. A hallucinogenic substance is concocted from its melodic and synth ingredients, along with other clandestine elements included to drive a concentrated effect, and this is induced as forces of light and dark circulate throughout the vastness of outer voids and inner psychological recesses. These paths are also inhabited by a myriad of maniacal and progressive entities, which become revelatory during the strange travels of Beyond North Star, and many captivating points of experience are attained from the spiritual quest embarked within.
Euphoric waves rise amid the initial string contortions of “Dive,” and a launch into deep blasting intensity follows, where tremolos and a spiraling fret descent advance with heavy dissonance. An electronic multiverse gradually unfolds, including glimpses into primitive natural lands and a psychedelic cosmos, and they parallel an organic consistency on the metal side, which also evolves here through a mind-altering concurrence of rhythm and melody. Lead shapes transfer to a sharpened riff attack on “I Am Them,” and insanity is weaved in its frenzy-noted dexterity, along with awareness seized when the vocal patterns of King Aleijster de Satan strike in time to a stomping progression. Lighter areas of intoxication continue the interplay between various intricate arrangements, and sung expressions forward another dynamic while tripped-out galactic synths amplify an enchantment in the atmosphere. It expands among the sinister undertones of “Henkivallat,” and these are transcended by fierce tremolo accents and a section of melodic elegance, until crushing breaks with arpeggiations bring them pointedly to the surface. Their impact is reinforced by mad laughter before “The Great Spiral” pushes a rhythmic focus toward the unknown, and its auras carry the likeness of a black hole that engulfs the track in dense elemental forces.
Anomalies beam through the planes navigated on “Beyond North Star,” with unstable trajectories that rise and fall alongside rapid tremolo orbits, and low-noted sequences join the madness leading to a dark arpeggiated void. Other haunted keys augment the compositional array of those territories, after a title status is affirmed in the precision executed across multiple solos, and the grooving paces of “Lovi” provide a heightened means of observation for similar energies materializing throughout. Sometimes these emerge subtly from within the mix, and this effect is demonstrated in certain varieties of leadwork here, which radiate with an exquisite substance echoed further by different combinations of synth and melody. Their calculated euphoria drifts into “Nouse,” where a progressive zenith is represented in shades of ethereal distinction, and the dreamlike states they invoke are suited with vocals transmitted from a far-off dimension before consuming “The Chalice of Life and Death.” Its heavy, melodic, and otherworldly features stride with the potency to finalize this grand exploration, and extraterrestrial signals are received before an end that reaches past the wormhole’s other side.
The profundity of this journey is likewise documented through words that begin by exploring “An opening in the veil” on “Dive,” and the “Transcendental singularity” beyond merges various realities into one, with light acting as the guide “Through Abraxas, Thantifaxath.” Reference to these monstrous names coincides with the necessity of venturing into feared regions, and an altered consciousness during this passage is then perceived in “Not quite awake,” but also “Not dreaming.” Magical tools are wielded for the encounter on “I Am Them,” a title that by itself joins one with many, and the illusory nature of being individual is recognized, which is then related to how thoughts can assume the form of “Different elementals and familiar spirits” when projected away. Another intriguing point involves “Patterns emerging from the chaos of expanding universe,” and lyrical dynamics shift to include Finnish expressions on “Henkivallat,” where union with ancestral and natural forces is harnessed before coursing deeper into “The Great Spiral.” A view of the subconscious becomes as light at its core “Opens millions of eyes in the night sky of the mind,” and this spiral seems to represent the higher self, along with ideas of something like the Kundalini recalled in its transformation to the “Luminous dragon lusting my spine.” It is further shown to be “The true face of the True Will” and “Of all gods” while other details convey its infinite source permeating all points of existence.
Shrooms are partaken on the title track, where “The forest is my church and the nature divine” reflects the inherent shamanism of this work, and the following visions peer into realms beyond life while striving to reach those most inward points. “Deeper I go, higher I get” carries this perception toward a state rendering “I” and “You” indistinguishable, which further observes the interconnection between everything, and the evoked atmosphere continues “Through the astral shadows” and “Endless oceans” before delving into one specifically mentioned area on “Lovi.” Finnish returns appropriately for its portrayals of distant planes, and translations reveal an ongoing journey past known regions of mind, with nature and spirits noted among its dark cavernous voids until the traveler ultimately finds himself at the source. Volition calls forth the elements on “Nouse,” and the protective and revitalized powers they bring inspire a determined advance on “The Chalice of Life and Death.” Here multiple deities are present at scenes imaginable in Valhalla, and “We are what we do” is emphasized during a shift in identities, along with an inseparability in “Dying to be born” as forces of the universe fully imbue a newly commenced cycle. Though my interpretations are undoubtedly flawed, what remains clear is the attempt of these lyrics to articulate something that’s been genuinely experienced, and many insights are possible from exploring their contents.
The methods exercised on this initiation from HENGET unveil a universe of possibility, with elated and mind-bending effects induced by its psychedelia, and they find harmony among different organic and shamanic properties emanating throughout. Their progressive nature is notable while keeping blackened riffage marked, and a myriad of melodic and technical points weave further intrigue around the more synthetic components, which then extends to another dose of allure heightened in virtuosic leads. The cosmic euphoria traversed in some areas is matched by others with a deep shadowy menace, and ethereal or commanding vocals intuitively reflect those tones, along with drum rhythms to compound the overarching chaos and trance. New discoveries are obtained with each successive rotation of Beyond North Star, and the highlight for 2023 captured here should draw adventurous masses easily toward its endless aural magnificence.
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