Hiemis – Yggdrasil (Album – Noctivagant)
Genre/Influences: Industrial, Ambient, Cinematic, Ritual.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: In less than five years Juan Carlos Toledo has released an impressive number of albums under the Hiemis moniker. “Yggdrasil” refers to ‘the evergreen ash, the tree of life, or ash of the universe.’ The work features nine tracks.
Content: The Spanish artist moves on exploring dark and obscure sonic fields leading him to visit Ambient & Cinematic sound universes accomplished with Industrial sound treatments and slow rhythms. The linear rhythmic becomes approximatively Ritual while ghost-like vocals emphasize the dark side of the work. You’ll also notice female vocals by guest artist Eva Molina (Doom Of Valyria).
+ + + : I like the darkness supporting this work with a Ritual touch on top. The global sphere created by Hiemis has a strong visual appeal. The vocals -and especially the bewitching singing of Eva Molina, achieve the work with a little extra. I especially like the second part of the album.
– – – : The work is progressively growing so you better get patient to discover the true splendor of “Yggdrasil” right at the end.
Conclusion: Hiemis remains an ultra-prolific project which however has achieved a significant and poignant opus.
Best songs: “Svartalfaheim”, “Helheim”, “Muspelheim”, “Midgard”.
Rate: 7.
Artist: www.facebook.com/hiemisband
Label: www.nvagant.com / www.facebook.com/nvagant
About Hiemis
Hiemis is the dark ambient project of Spanish musician Juan Carlos Toledo. He launched Hiemis in 2018 following an earlier stage with the darkfolk project Silent Love Of Death, which released “The Poet’s Senses” (Palace of Worms, 2004) and “Donde Habite el Olvido” (GH Records, 2011). Under the Hiemis name, Toledo has released music through the US label Noctivagant Records and the Spanish label GH Records, including “Nachtstucke” (GH Records, 2018), “Hyperborea” (Noctivagant Records, 2019), “Thule” (GH Records, 2019), “Radix” (Noctivagant Records, 2020) and “La Chose” (Gradual Hate Records, 2022). “Yggdrasil” follows on Noctivagant Records with nine tracks, each tied to one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology and drawing on the poem Voluspa, and features guest vocals from Eva Molina of Doom Of Valyria.
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