From the Swedish town Höör, in that country’s southernmost county of Skåne, comes Tusenårseken, the black metal creation of Andreas Karlsson. Since he first summoned the spirit of Tusenårseken into life in 2020, Andreas Karlsson has released two full-length albums and an EP. Now, he will unveil his third album, Omhuldra. While solo black metal projects are not particularly uncommon, those that can leave you stunned by their musical accomplishments, the breadth and depth of their imagination and creativity certainly are. Karlsson without doubt possesses a rare talent… Thus, in Omhuldra he has shaped an album of breathtaking magic…
About the new album
When Omhuldra begins with Ode till alla fattiga kräk, its opening vocal chant, steeped in the sounds of Scandinavian folklore, deftly changes the surroundings and perceptions. The world around fades as the music transports listeners to the high mountain passes… Beneath the shadowed canopy of vast forests, through cold and lightless tunnels… Far beneath the earth, and beside glittering, cold lakes – vast mirrors reflecting the open sky. Each song tells a different tale and paints a different dream.
The feral riffs of Våren förgiftad eat at the nerve endings… As haunted melodies rise slowly to the surface of its icy waters, shrouded in impenetrable mystery. Riket bortom livet begins with warlike intensity, the formidable, tumultuous drums recalling the immortal aura of Bathory’s peerless Blood, Fire, Death. However, before slipping sideways through an array of rhythmic and atmospheric changes, each welcome and wonderful.
There is so much to experience as you get carried through Tusenårseken’s kingdom of folk, tradition, myth and magic… it’s bewildering and bewitching. From the jagged, embittered blackness of Himmelens hand to the campfire meditations of En vila i eländet. And, on to the earthshaking march of giants through a realm of legends that is Grönskan vi minns. Meanwhile, at the album’s heart lies the immensity of Ett hjärta som lättats från kroppen, where a thousand different elements of sound seem woven into a tapestry of the song. If such a startlingly beautiful album has a finest moment, then Omhuldra’s must surely lie within the sorcerous weft and weave of Ett hjärta som lättats från kroppen.
Release info
Omhuldra will come out via Grind To Death Records on September 6th. Of course, swathed in the richly detailed artwork of Daniel Karlsson (Furnace, Throneless etc). For those who discover its glorious fury, its storm winds over jagged, snow-crested peaks, its ethereal melodies, its torrents of daunting power… it is a gift for a lifetime. Light the hilltop fires and watch for its coming.
Omhuldra‘s opening track, Ode till alla fattiga kräk is available on the Grind To Death Records Bandcamp page.
Band lineup:
Andreas Karlsson – All music and vocals