Today was a perfect Gothic day. The air was filled with the smell of burning limbs from my wood pile and there was a feeling of foreboding, impending doom on my mind.

It was a perfect way to be introduced to the debut from Whispering Void, a collective of some of Norway’s most talented musicians; drawing from Gorgoroth, Wardruna and Enslaved and the mastermind behind all of it is guitarist extraordinaire Ronny Stavestrand, who may be familiar from his time in a certain ex-Gorgoroth vocalists project called Trelldom.

Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal has been making some killer Dark Ambient Black Metal with his many artistic pathways and this Whispering Void album is just another one for 2024. Lindy-Fay Hella from Wardruna was brought along and her beautiful and seductive vocals are all over At the Sound of the Heart,  especially in opening track “Vinden vier” where she is like the cold kiss of death. A soaring, unchained angel of darkness riding on the waves of fear and emptiness coming from the speakers.

At the Sound of the Heart is a mournful album, there’s moments where I experienced complete sorrow and then an uplifting note would ring out and jerk the melancholy from my mind. “Vi finnes” starts with a bouncing drum pattern while melancholic sound waves swirl like thousands of black blossoms. This is a fantastic album, it’s heart is laid bare and is still beating when “Whispering Void” comes on. There’s Kristian’s gripping, sorrowful vocals, the build up to the cresting waves of the mid-track mark; all these elements blend and texture over each other not for dominance but for release.

There’s an overtone of Ulver that sort of permeates it’s way through these seven gateways to the pit of the soul the title track bringing this serpentine riff ringing out like a beacon bell on a calm black sea.

The production is stellar, bringing more of an organic 70s feeling, it’s a welcome feeling indeed and “Lauvvind” is a perfect example of 70s Prog Rock, it’s a sound that Enslaved is no stranger to especially on their more psychedelic albums like Mardraum (Beyond the Within), Below the Lights and Ruun, to name three.

“We are Here” comes rising on beautiful cello work and a spare guitar with some violin to add background gravitas, and keeping it all together is some tight drumming, at the songs midsection it erupts into some sort of Black Metal Jazz beast.

The lineup of Ronny Stavestrand – guitars, Lindy-Fay Hella – vocals, Kristian Eivind Espedal – vocals and Iver Sandøy – drums & percussion, bass, guitar, keyboards. The delivery is bolstered by the guest musicians Ole André Farstad – guzheng, Indian slide guitar on ‘Vinden Vier’,’Lauvvind’, Matias Monsen – cello on ‘Whispering Void’, ‘At the Sound of the Heart’, ‘We Are Here’, Silje Solberg – Hardanger fiddle on ‘Vi finnes’, ‘The Vines’.

So you take all that and add the cosmic production from being Recording by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen (NO); Additional recording by Ronny Stavestrand at Home Studio, Bergen (NO), Mix by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen (NO) and finally Mastering by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen (NO). It makes for an amazing work of art and closer “Flower” is a gorgeously bleak and haunting way to close At the Sound of the Heart.

This could almost be considered a DSBM album, it shares characteristics with Ghaals Wyrd, and other projects that he has been a part of since departing Gorgoroth years ago. This is a triumphant album, it swells with a pitch black heartbeat that is unmistakable to deny. Don’t sleep on this one constant reader.

[Visit the band's website]

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