Published: May 9, 2024

Netflix’s The Witcher series is set to conclude after its fifth season, and it seems like nobody will mourn its passing. It squandered Andrzej Sapkowski’s beloved book series, sparked unanimous fan umbrage, and destroyed Henry Cavill’s fanboy enthusiasm. You can see how it broke his heart by comparing how giddily he spoke about the show before it aired and his disappointment after he walked away from it. Of course, the television series wasn’t the only large-scale adaptation of The Witcher, with CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt igniting a flame in English-speaking countries that had largely ignored the series until that point. It was a Game Informer cover story featuring Geralt of Rivia ahead of The Witcher 3’s 2015 release that originally caught Bruxa’s attention, stoking the first flames of their love for Sapkowski’s original novels and the games and driving them to form Hekseblad alongside Frosk much later. 

The US-based black metal duo began in the midst of the pandemic and debuted with their first EP, The Fall of Cintra, not long after in 2021. Three years later, they followed it with their first full-length album, Kaer Morhen, drawing its title from the stronghold Witchers retreat to during the winter to rest. The location holds some significance for Bruxa who spent most of their time writing the album in northern Ontario during the winter, where temperatures range from damn cold to punishingly cold. Yet, Bruxa still found comfort and community there that fostered a shelter of sorts, mirroring the exact solace Geralt and other members of the School of the Wolf draw from Kaer Morhen.

While it doesn’t bear many direct nodes to frigid climates, Kaer Morhen draws from two of the most celebrated and frosty black metal albums, Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane and Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse. These influences meld quite well with The Witcher’s lore and its focus on isolation and humanity amongst tales of monster slaying, romance, and politics. Hekseblad’s lyrics retell Witcher stories that fit like a glove with melodic black metal that isn’t afraid to exert itself. So even though most listeners will approach Hekseblad because of their The Witcher iconography, they’ll soon realize the pair’s allure lies beyond it. 

Hekseblad strings black metal’s innate evil sentiments through a stylized lens for grin-inducing results. Although the lo-fi vocals and wicked atmosphere are appropriate for the subgenre, Kaer Morhen possesses a nerd’s heart. It’s jagged and scowling and seemingly retreating from the light of day, but beneath its skin lays an ecstasy to convey Geralt’s tales. No track better captures this than “The White Flame” as it throws around all manner of dinky keyboards and Emperor-worshiping guitars without reservation. There’s also the title track that mirrors Kaer Morhen’s restorative abilities with folkish acoustic guitars and synths. Hekseblad howls their newfound strength through solitude and then displays it through a diabolic guest solo from Sörjande. It’s a little on-the-nose but fitting for Geralt, who is prone to outbursts despite his attempts to subdue his emotions. 

There’s also a sense of humbleness that cuts through the album as if Hekseblad knows how ridiculous corpse paint and a wintery focus can be and only indulges it further. To reel away from it would reek of cowardice. By diving headfirst, Hekseblad conjure black metal’s might for narratively apropos cuts like the epic “Taste of Ash,” with Frosk as the principal architect. Their melodies and solos are Kaer Morhen’s primary engines, acting as lanterns through unlit pathways while Bruxa’s vocals remain fuzzy and obscured. The contrast between the two bandmates--one heroic and the other clandestine--are personifications of Geralt himself, a character whose moral compass drives him to act as a hero but who seeks no fame and sees himself as an outsider. On a more basic level, the balance also takes care of any potentially cheesy overtones while staying true to The Witcher’s themes and tone. Through it, Hekseblad has free reign to be as jubilant as they see fit without sacrificing any grit.