Psychedelic forest folk-rockers, Hexvessel, will release their new nature-mystic opus, Kindred, via Svart Records on March 20. Pre-order the album here, and watch a video for the opening track, "Billion Year Old Being", below.

Blues-laden psych-rock and progressive structures harken back to King Crimson, giving way to dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early Nick Cave and the doom-laden atmospheres of Dead Can Dance. The band returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic No Holier Temple, which fused Hexvessel’s folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with the new album mastered by John Davis (The Killers / Gorillaz / Led Zeppelin / Lana Del Rey) in the UK.  Through ‘Kindred’s’ 10 song rites of passage, Hexvessel cover Coil’s Fire Of The Mind live from a mental institution and delve into the Druidic sacrificial swamps with songs like Bog Bodies, which conjures the deep Lynchian night  with muted trumpet and foggy rhodes piano. Adorned by cover artwork by artists Thomas Hooper (who has worked for Neurosis, Converge and Doomriders) and Richey Beckett (who has created work for Metallica, Foo Fighters, Robert Plant), ‘Kindred’ is an album which calls you on a journey, both intimate and richly enlightening.

Kindred is Hexvessel’s fifth album, and a return to Svart Records, where they released their debut album Dawnbearer to critical and cult acclaim 10 years ago. Hexvessel was formed by English/Irish singer/songwriter Mat McNerney in 2009 after he moved to Finland. Also known for his work with Beastmilk (now known as Grave Pleasures), The Deathtrip, guest spots with Carpenter Brut and Me & That Man and his earlier work with Norwegian black metal bands Code & Dødheimsgard, McNerney is a both highly eclectic and critically acclaimed musical artist. Across the years, it is McNerney’s work with Hexvessel which has been his most brave, exploratory, honest and impossible to categorise, unique and idiosyncratic in a world all of their own.

Tracklisting:

"Billion Year Old Being"
"Demian"
"Fire Of The Mind "
"Bog Bodies"
"Sic Luceat Lux"
"Phaedra"
"Family"
"Kindred Moon"
"Magical & Damned"
"Joy of Sacrifice"

"Billion Year Old Being" video:

"Demian" video:

(Photo - Saara Kujansuu)