Photo by: A.H.
Official press release:
Finnish black metal act HEXVESSEL have set their signatures under a multi-album dealwith Prophecy Productions.
HEXVESSEL will release their seventh studio full-length via the label and have already been confirmed for this year’s edition of Prophecy Fest.
Vocalist and guitarist Mat “Kvohst” McNerney explains:
“I am a fiercely independent minded artist and Hexvessel has its own sound, ideology and spiritual path. I wanted a label that would respect, care for and nurture that wild art spirit. I have known and been friends with Martin Koller, Stefan Belda, and Prophecy for many years. We go back to the origin of Hexvessel and our first live shows abroad and they have always supported my work. I felt we would always be destined to work together in a creative aspect and I am proud to now come under the banner of a label that stands for true beauty in art and creative music.”
Prophecy Productions founder Martin Koller writes:
“We are all thrilled to welcome a long-time friend and outstanding artist such as Mat McNerney and Hexvessel to our roster. Hexvessel are in many regards the perfect fit for Prophecy Productions as their highly individualistic and ever evolving music is exciting as hard to pin down and limit to only one genre.”
In celebration of this occasion, HEXVESSEL unveil a visualiser for the previously unreleased song “Under the Lake”. Mastermind Mat McNerney reveals:
I actually started writing ‘Under The Lake’ as the first song for our return to black metal before the other parts of ‘Polar Veil’ took shape. Although it was always a favourite of mine, ‘Under the Lake’ still remained unfinished. This was partly due to the fact that its theme was neither polar nor set in wintertime, which meant that the song did not sit well with the rest of the album. Instead ‘Under the Lake’ is about summer hikes into the secluded and remote deep fell areas where you will find bottomless clear lakes or ‘saivo’. In Sámi beliefs, saivos (sáiva) were thought to be homes to the deceased as well as various spirits and deities. The Sámi word sáiva was used to refer to a holy lake or fell, and the spirits residing in it. It could also denote a dwelling of the deceased or anything sacred; depending on the context. A saivo, like our own world, was usually believed to exist beyond a hole at the bottom of a lake, with another identical lake upside down. To me, this is a perfect metaphor for looking at the world. There is a deeper meaning out there, if you look hard enough. ‘Under the Lake’ … there is another lake. I am glad that this personal favourite of mine finally comes to see the light of day. It happens in the preternatural summer in which we announce our pact with Prophecy!
Tour dates:
8/07 Jaroměř, CZ – Brutal Assault Festival
8/13 Manchester, UK – Rebellion
8/14 Brighton, UK – Chalk
8/15 Sheffield, UK – Corporation
8/16 London, UK – Oslo
8/17 Bristol, UK – ArcTanGent Festival
8/24 Dūburio Sala, LT – Mėnuo Juodaragis
9/06-9/07 Balve, DE – Prophecy Fest
9/28 Heidelberg, DE – New Evil Music Festival
10/23 Berlin, DE – Kantine am Berghain
10/24 Leipzig, DE – Soltmann
10/25 Bruxelles, BE – Atelier210
10/26 Paris, FR – Backstage by the Mill
10/27 Maastricht, NL – Samhain
10/28 Hamburg, DE – Hafenklang
10/29 København, DK – Stengade
10/30 Goteborg, SE – The Abyss
10/31 Oslo, NO – Goldie
11/01 Jönköping, SE – The Hush Hush Club
11/02 Stockholm, SE – Hus 7
