HÅN - Facilis Descensus Averni LP

Facilis Descensus Averni is victorious in every aspect. First we have the exquisite tremolo, laying the foundation, the melody and the atmosphere. Each song has one or two main themes, bridged perfectly by recurring / alternating passages. The main themes are so simple and beautiful yet so haunting you find yourself humming / whistling a random one long after the album ends. Despite the vast amount of tremolo / chord built melodies, I would not classify the music as “melodic black metal”, though. Also, we are treated by a very natural and a thick atmosphere of despair. Yet, not “atmospheric black metal”. We always imagine the Swiss Alps as serene and astonishing. Oh, by the way Hån is Swiss. But here they are as grim, cold and dark as the mountains of Bergen. And there is an inherent, heavy and glooming sorrowful overall feeling that would put most DSBM bands or any in-your-face despair inducing post-black to shame, and certainly not any of these.