Artist: Hail Conjurer
Country: Finland
Label: Bestial Burst / Crypt Of The Wizard / Tour De Garde
Formats: LP / Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2025
Almost simultaneously with the ‘Crude Magick’ double LP, a compilation of the earliest Hail Conjurer demos and some previously unreleased tracks, the work-hungry Finn comes out with a new album: ‘Order Of Disgrace’. One thing is certain: as a fan of the band, you never really have to wait long for new material. Almost with clockwork regularity, he releases a new album every year, but in between there is still plenty to enjoy in the form of short-lengths, splits and collaborations. And while demos and collaborations in particular are ideally suited for musical excursions and experimentation, with Hail Conjurer you know that even with the albums you’re always in for a surprise.
Releasing a preview in the form of the ‘New Order’ music video, Hail Conjurer immediately put its listeners on the wrong track. This song is perfectly fitting for a video clip, but it doesn’t exactly exemplify what ‘Order Of Disgrace’ has to offer. At least, not quite. ‘New Order’ is perhaps the most classic Black Metal song to ever appear within the musical confines of the Hail Conjurer landscape. With its melancholic and melodic core, this song fits perfectly within the somewhat less rugged Finnish Black Metal tradition. With its strong and catchy melody and powerful song structure, it reminds me of Alghazanth more than once.
But if you, like me, had thought that the album might go more in that direction, you are completely wrong. I could blame myself for this naivety, but the relief that Hail Conjurer is once again unpredictable is many times greater. Although some songs do reflect a bit of that wonderful harmony and classic Second Wave Black Metal song writing of ‘New Order’, the lion’s share of what’s on offer is aligned way more in the trademark Hail Conjurer tradition.
Basically straight away since the band’s inception in 2017, Hail Conjurer showed a strong penchant for experimentalism, something that has gotten gradually more over the past few years. The addition of spacey, droning and downright noisy elements have not only enriched the music, but more importantly gave it a unique and recognizable identity. ‘Order Of Disgrace’ fits perfectly in that ongoing, work-in-progress-like musical evolution that typifies Hail Conjurer. From the opening Power Electronics-based ‘Antithesis’ and the Noise-scaped ‘Huoruuden Perkele’ to the great spacey ‘Melancholy Forest’ and doomy ‘Transference’ and ‘…Burning Rope’: this is such a beguiling jumble that only Hail Conjurer can credibly bring to the table.
Like every album since ‘Earth Penetration’, an album that feels like the starting point of Hail Conjurer’s unorthodox experimentation, ‘Order Of Disgrace’ foremost is a record that needs to be experienced in its entirety. The dynamics and differing levels are greater than ever on this new work, but nowhere does it feel disjointed or even incoherent. But in all honesty, I’m quite curious to know what an entire album in the style of ‘New Order’ would sound like, perhaps something for a new (one-off) project?
