Review GAAHLS WYRD ‘The Humming Mountain’

‘The Humming Mountain’ is the new mini album delivered by Gaahls Wyrd. The Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannprisen)-winning band recorded five songs that lead to a 30-minute running time. The reason for releasing a mini album is because Gaahl wanted to provide more music to fans than what a usual EP delivers. Secondly, the concept of ‘The Humming Mountain’ wasn’t delivering enough for a full-length album and still comprises of music that shouldn’t stay in the drawer.

Three of the songs are coming from the ‘GastiR – Ghosts Invited’ session but at the time didn’t exactly fit into the context of the album. Not letting go the ideas for three songs, ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving’, The Dwell’ and ‘The Humming Mountain’, Gaahl began to rework the songs and the thoughts behind these dark tunes. What left the studio is a dark and melancholic soundscape that reflects a picture of Nordic nature with mountains wrapped in grey mist.

Next to the gloomy sound of these five songs ‘The Humming Mountain’ has a mystic expression. Mainly kept in baleful calmness some of the songs are more of a lament. Sometimes built on almost endless repetitions, the record creates a feeling of discomfort and at the same time allows the listener to dive into a world of patience in a universal sense.

‘The Humming Mountain’ is a special release that has nothing to do with Gaahl’s black metal past. ‘The Dwell’ has some raging elements and is, together with the tight ‘Awakening Remains – Before Leaving’, the heaviest song on this release. Still, the framing on this mini album is calmer and atmospheric, a cinematic picture painted in dark grey. This mini album is demanding and to a certain extend also exhausting. Maybe it depends on the mood you’re in when dropping the needle. A sunshine mindset doesn’t help diving into the depth of ‘The Humming Mountain’.