Photo by: Henk van Rijssen
Official press release:
For the past 15 years, Faber Horbach has traced our connection with the sun through the music of Sowulo, but his upcoming concept album, NIHT, journeys into darkness. Written while grieving the loss of both his father and stepfather, lead single “Āsteorfan” (“To Die”) is a meditation that, while filled with sorrow, finds that death is not a final resting place, but a portal into spiritual awakening.
“Āsteorfan” marks a threshold in NIHT‘s conceptual journey through the subconscious, cycles of decay and spiritual teachings of the Moon. The song is grounded in ancient instrumentation and ritualistic textures. Nyckelharpa and carnyx merge with deep percussion and throat singing, creating a sonic terrain that feels both ancestral and sacred. The minimal yet immersive arrangement evokes the inner descent into silence and stillness, offering a moment of surrender that echoes far beyond the self.
Faber comments:
“‘Āsteorfan’ (‘To die’ in Anglo Saxon) is a song about overcoming the dark periods in life, and empowering you to face your fear of death, or the death of your ego. And what better way to visualize this in a music video than with a firewalk?🔥
This song is a reminder that life is not meant to be constantly full of merely light, and that the darkness is not your enemy; it helps you gain insight into what truly matters.”
The music video for “Āsteorfan” was filmed and directed by Jasper van Gheluwe. Color grading was done by Micky Huijsmans.
NIHT comes out August 29th on Season of Mist. Pre-order here and pre-save on Spotify.
NIHT track listing:
- “Niwe Mōna”
- “Seolfren Sicol”
- “Āsteorfan”
- “Sōl ond Māni”
- “Full Mōna”
- “Miċele Steorran”
- “Mōnaþblōd”
- “Nihtēagan”
- “Carnyx”
- “Eald Mōna”
- “Swefnian”
- “Heolstor Sċeadu”
- “Genihtian”
