Raphael Alecto - Hessian Firm

Biosphere – Angel’s Flight (2021) & Shortwave Memories (2022)

The two latest releases by Biosphere showcase its two main facets; as one of the most reputed figures in ambient music, the solo project of norwegian musician Geir Jenssen has…

By Raphael Alecto February 27, 2022Review

Review

Some excursions into Industrial Black Metal

No gesture of artistic expression can be completely detached from its context, this being the reason why considerable importance is often attributed to the cultural climate when analyzing any given…

By Raphael Alecto January 14, 2022Review

Podcast

Hessian Scrum Special: Roundtable featuring Randal Plunkett (21st Baron of Dunsany), John Pearson (Excuse the Blood) and Lonegoat (Goatcraft, Necropolis podcast)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdiuQca77nk&t=5360s For the latest Hessian Scrum episode, I organized a roundtable on the topic Music and Cinema, eventually narrowing it down to Metal and Cinema. Joining me are some very…

By Raphael Alecto December 23, 2021Podcast

Label News

Mefitis – “Offscourings” vinyl out now

The long awaited vinyl edition of the latest Mefitis album, "Offscourings", is finally here, the product of the collaboration between Hessian Firm and Nigh Rhythms, who managed to craft an…

By Raphael Alecto December 7, 2021Label News

Review

Laetitia in Holocaust – I Fall with the Saints (2021)

Laetitia in Holocaust’s latest EP shows the Italian band further developing their craft of concise but adventurous songs. Defying the indulgence that characterizes many of the modern “technical” extreme metal…

By Raphael Alecto December 1, 2021Review

Podcast

Hessian Scrum Special: Randal Plunklett, 21st Baron of Dunsany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yTeRXMX6Vs On the latest Hessian Scrum episode, I interviewed Randal Plunkett, the Baron of Dunsany, who, besides a career as a film director and an ambitious rewilding project he's undertaking…

By Raphael Alecto November 16, 2021Podcast

Review

Kawir – Adrasteia (2019)

Hailing from Greece, Kawir create epic black metal inspired by their homeland’s vast mythological tradition. As expected from this type of enterprise and its presentation, the tone is solar and…

By Raphael Alecto November 13, 2021Review

Analysis

Black Metal and Otherness

One of the most immediately perceivable aspects of black metal’s imagery and aesthetic is its focus on the negative – elements such as darkness (absence of light), cold (absence of…

By Raphael Alecto October 29, 2021Analysis

Interview

Interview: Theophonos (Serpent Column)

How did Serpent Column come into being, and what artistic mission did it take upon itself? Serpent Column began in 2015, at the encouragement of my then-roommates and friends. I…

By Raphael Alecto October 27, 2021Interview

Podcast

Hessian Scrum 7: Ancestral Mourning

For the latest Hessian Scrum entry, Nick interviews Scylfing from the US black metal band Ancestral Mourning, one of the earliest bands to have been signed by our label. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSbhMlBdafY

By Raphael Alecto October 23, 2021Podcast