Vehemency Ääniä Yössä (or Voices in the Night) is a conceptual and, compared to Horna’s usual style, a bit more experimental record about the Black Death. The songs are long, minimalist and oppressive, unlike the more common material of Horna that is clearly faster and more aggressive. This might not please all the fans of the band, but personally I think that Ääniä Yössä is a great album.

Consisting of just four tracks, one can already guess that the songs are indeed long - ”Noutajan Kutsu” is the only song below the mark of 5 minutes. The music is quite lo-fi, but done in a way that doesn’t disturb the listener, quite the opposite, it enhances the foggy atmosphere. The instruments are mixed relatively low compared to Corvus’ shrieks that are pretty much on top. The tracks are brooding and based on just a few recurring good riffs, so there is certainly no space for any filler material.

The last track ”Ääni Yössä” (”A Voice in the Night”) takes the theme of long, dragging and utterly dark music even further, being an over 21-minute track with just a handful of different riffs played during the whole song with a constant blast beat in the background. The minimalist atmosphere is magical and the song is best experienced in nature (been there done that during dark summer nights, it is always a fascinating though almost scary experience.)

For those who are not afraid of a nice dose of very oppressive black metal, Ääniä Yössä is whole-heartedly recommended. Though I understand that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. After all, it is an experimental release recorded solely by Shatraug and Corvus together in two different sessions, so in a way it isn’t even a ”real” Horna album with full line-up. Nothing still kills the fact that the brooding atmosphere of Ääniä Yössä is truly magical when listened to in the right conditions.