Steril
I see shadows
Voidum
Orgasmo nero
Munus
Surreal adaptation
Omega
Snokth
Sesso nero (live improv)

Lock the windows. Barricade the doors. Hide your virgin daughters in the cellar. The bearded Viking marauder is once more on the rampage and this time he’s taking no prisoners. Chuck the Omega Man has returned. ‘I am legend’ he cried. And who are we to disagree. The powerhouse behind MZ412, Folkstorm, Hydra Head 9, Toroidh and other projects sees the release of another solo recording under his own name. Following on from "Awaken", "On broken wings towards victory" and "I end forever" (…although the OEC titled "The dead never sleep" which I’m still waiting for and was released almost simultaneously could also be included here…) bloody release schedules and non information…this latest nine track opus reaffirms my belief that HNB is a cut above the rest. The man with the plan. He is Godzilla. We are Japan.

Although essentially another foray into the dark recesses of black ambient soundscapes , and I for one aren’t complaining, HNB plays with unusual materials to forge the barren sounds. Utilising broken electronic equipment, oil tank, ESP, axe, concrete…probably the chrome kitchen sink with dripping tap…he manipulates, twists and cajoles the sounds into other dimensions not thought previously possible. The music slowly builds in tension… stretching and teasing… introducing new complimentary elements, so full of vibrancy, as it slowly evolves and takes shape. Pacifying drones punctuate the air akin to lightning during an electrical storm. Hollow rumbles, echoing grates and spectral ghostly voices act as a counter balance to the often minimalist approach. The odd pitch of unexpected jarred noise never out of place. The perceived claustrophobia making the rivulets of sweat flow on the skin. A nightmarish world devoid of light and life where fear becomes mans best friend. Hopes cruelly shattered and smothered. The shroud of cold atmospherics knitted tight. The introduction of rhythmic passages doing nothing to dispel the illusion that this is a journey into the deepest hell bound voids.

"Vitagen" is that most unusual hybrid of the oblique experimental processed, mixed and manufactured to sound bleak ambient to the core. The crux of the matter is that it works perfectly cohesively becoming not only a recording of great depth and ingenuity…making it a ‘must have’…but also another triumphant highlight in the HNB multifarious repertoire. We are not worthy.

ANM