Psychedelic forest folk-rockers Hexvessel will release their new nature-mystic opus, Kindred, via Svart Records on the March 20.  Taking a darker and more esoteric path, Kindred sees Hexvessel re-forge their eclectic melting cauldron or “vessel” of sound into a potent “hex” of spell-binding songcraft. New single, “Demian”, is streaming here.

A sub-arctic occult blues number, with western-noir guitars, “Demian” is a paean to the work of Herman Hesse and is about opening up our subconscious to reach our human potential. 

Singer/song-writer Mat McNerney says “’Demian’ is in a sense the true message in everything we do with Hexvessel. It’s about finding the sense of holiness within and discovering the magic in the universe, which is within us all. It’s about breaking on through to the other side.”

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 5th 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.