To describe Tor-Helge Skei’s new musical explorations as ‘unclassifiable’, or any other equivalent phrase, is a pleonasm: hearing him transform Manes from black metal into something more avant-garde and trip-hop-inspired had already set us on our guard. Here is someone for whom making music goes hand in hand with deep reflection and is similar to a quest. Holissstik, his new project, is further proof of this. We just have to only consider the paradox that leaps out at us – both visually and aurally – right from the album’s title, The Endless Solitude, given that some twenty artists are taking part in the venture, united around Skei as their ‘guide’ (among them are his collaborators from Manes, such as Eivind Fjøseide, Torstein Parelius, Rune Hoemsne and singer Anna Murphy, as well as Krys Denhez from Ecr.Linf and Område, and Kristoffer Oustad from Plague Machinery and the excellent industrial black metal project V:28).
The approach is indeed holistic: every element here forms part of a unified whole, whether it be the people involved or the musical genres that Holissstik brings together. Take, for example, The Rhythm of Silence: ghostly trip-hop, a few melancholic guitar echoes that Depeche Mode would be proud of, and, halfway through, a guest appearance by the Alsatian rapper K-Rip. The sound thickens, transforms and evolves, layer by layer. The different voices and sensibilities blend together in an alchemical fusion, whilst, track after track, Holissstik takes us on a journey through abandoned landscapes and forgotten ruins.
With a subtle balancing act, this opening chapter keeps us shrouded in its mysterious and delicate mist, whilst still allowing us to sense the intensity of extreme metal echoes here and there (My Salvation), or a hypnotic doom-like heaviness (Obsession Six, the ritual incantations of Would You Take This Heart) which add a visceral, organic touch to the coldness of the synthesisers (Oustad is credited with this role on most tracks; let’s aknowledge his nuanced work).
It is when its ethereal subtleties take a more sinister turn that This Endless Solitude naturally captivates us the most: the exquisite nightmare that is Recurring Dreams, with its sombre electronic sounds and a haze of guitars creeping through the darkness; or the unsettling menace of Behind Me, which, with its intensity and mounting madness, reminds us of this simple truth: if you suffer from loneliness, there may well be presences—some more palpable than others—whose company you would surely prefer not to find yourself in… Here, reality gives way to terrifying phantasmagorical visions, surreal, possessed hallucinations that make quite an impression.
Holissstik, with its approach that transcends stylistic boundaries, blends deep, abyssal darkness with weightless moments of light – contrasts that form a coherent whole despite the number of artists taking part in this wake. An album about endless solitude, certainly, but one that surrounds us with a host of spectre… so let us enjoy their company as we should!
