HÄXANU is here; this American duo act unleashes their second full-length release, "Totenpass", released on 7th February 2023 via Amor Fati Productions. While their debut, "Snare of all Salvation," was unleashed three years prior (25th March 2020) via Amor Fati Productions.

The first two tracks, which I would like to discuss, is the opening piece, "Θάρσει", which opens the album with an introductory soundscape -followed by an instrumental beautiful-tranquil warm acoustic guitar welcomes one into the music, where the listener encounters the second track (the second track for discussion), "Death Euphoria," where the music kicks off with a melodic array of gorgeously dreamy guitar work, punching drum strikes and snarling vocals.

The final two pieces to discuss is "Ephòdion," the sixth track on the album welcomes the listener with Sorhin-type riffs with a straightforward Arckanum song structure -following suit with the "Οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος", the sixth track on the release, which breaks away from the blackened aggression -to a beautiful-tranquil (sombre warm acoustic guitar instrumental -of only a minute and a half of beauty... before the music finishes off with one more round of blackened aggression of the closing song, "Totenpass."

At the same time, "Totenpass" consists of good craftsmanship and musicianship (including the instrumental and vocal work) that is strongly composed and scored, which utilises this aggressive atmosphere/musical spectrum of giving the listener's ears more than black metal but has this gradient (feeling) black metal of combining the traditional atmospheric black metal with depressive black metal and some nineties Finnish black metal and maybe some nineties Swedish black metal is thrown in for good measure, which consists of instrumental and vocal work that utilises ice-chilling synths, a melodic array of gorgeously dreamy guitars riffage, dancy, and punchy drum strikes and vocals that consist of depressive screeches that for depressive black metal and snarling vocals.

"Totenpass," in my opinion, is a release that feels fresh, raw, beautiful, and epic. While the production value of the release is solid and crystal clear, the listener can hear everything on the record. At the same time (mentioned before), adding the various black metal styles -gives it a vanguard feeling, while the guitar work was the substantial and outstanding part of the release, instead keeping to a raw three chords but adding multi-chords into the songs!

Finish note: I must say the artwork is fantastic, as that old-school/90's black metal vibe.
At the same time, it also has this oil painting look.