Vihurienkeli – Vihurienkeli (2026) – Review by Robert Mallett

Maine in the northeastern United States has more forested area than any other part of that troubled and frequently very noisy nation. The woodlands there comprise countless hectares of spruce and pine trees and are populated by black bears, packs of wolves and moose. Those who inhabit Maine will know that it is characterised by a profound silence that is only broken by the sound of the wind in the trees, the cries of animals, the intermittent communications of loons, owls and grouse.

Not surprising, then, that Black Metal resides deep in the wilds of Maine, in the same northern wilderness that underpins Scandinavian Black Metal, particularly Finnish Black Metal. Although Vihurienkeli are based here in Maine, their debut album has the sound, feel, and aesthetics of the very best chaotic, occult-driven Finnish sonic releases by artists like Musta Surma, Clandestine Blaze and Neonum that we are all familiar with. And it’s those natural and musical analogies that make this album a truly magnificent exercise in raw, haunting, bleak forest Black Metal that is, yes, influenced to a degree by the great Finnish heritage, but is simultaneously highly dynamic and original.

Vihurinekeli (roughly translated as ‘stormy passage’) is the one-man project of mastermind Tentematon, and this is the second official release since last year’s split with Finnish act Kaikkivaltias, Tähtihämär. The latter generated significant momentum that drove the creation of the new self-titled full-length album, which not only builds on its predecessor but in real terms creates a recording so darkly atmospheric that it captures the true, occult spirits of the wilderness in which it was conceived with stark brilliance.

As part of the increasingly excellent Hidden Dawn collective, yet another US micro underground scene, Vihurienkeli build long, unpolished yet deeply atmospheric compositions that capture the essence of the forest Ritual and that terrifying aura hidden deep within nature. The music is driven by the experience of visions endured in the darkness, alone and at one with the spirits of the wild. This is an album of huge atmospheres and deep revelations, and from album opener Tyhjiö (Void) to closing track Vihantäytteiset näyt (Verdant apparitions) this is Black Metal carved out to ignite the inner fire and open up the Soul to the energies of nature and the universe itself.

As with all the other outstanding bands who form the Hidden Dawn collective, like Lunar Amulet, Stone Crown and Blood Chariot, Vihurienkeli are fiercely DIY and certainly want nothing whatsoever to do with the ‘business’ side of Black Metal. They are certainly one of the outstanding projects of an outstanding Black Metal cauldron with sonic soundscapes that reflect the grandiose beauty of both Maine and Finland itself. This is pure, raw and mesmeric aural delirium that evokes the dark spirits of the night, who trap the unwary fool yet guide those who absorb and comprehend.

From the forgotten rites of the first wanderers, a hidden dawn gathers the embers of ancient night and breathes them into flame.