siLLy puPPy HELLVETTO is just one of the many projects of the one-man act Filip Mrowiński better known as L.O.N (Light of Night) who operates out of Ostrołęka, Poland. Although HELLVATTO is his most famous alter ego, L.O.N. single-handedly also releases music under the monikers Blakagir, Neoheresy, Sarkel and Winds of Garden. Trouble getting along with others perhaps? The HELLVETO world began in 1995 followed by several demos and a split with Herrgorn before this debut AUTUMNAL NIGHT was released in 2002 on the Sanguinae Maremagnum label.

One of the most prolific artists in black metal, as HELLVETTO, L.O.N. released sixteen albums from 2002 to 2012 before dropping the name and changing it to Neoheresy. AUTUMNAL NIGHT set the stage for HELVETTO’s dramatic sound that mixed classical symphonic / orchestral elements with Pagan black metal. This debut features 10 tracks that add up to 52 1/2 minutes of playing time. HELLVETO handles all instruments including guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers as well as the orchestral arrangements with both raspy growls and clean vocal styles.

In many ways HELVETTO sounds like Summoning where the black metal is not the dominant feature but rather on an equal playing field with other elements in this case being the dramatic opera singing that often sounds like HELLVETO is being joined by a liturgical choir. The raspy vocals also remind a lot of Summoning’s Silenius however the orchestral classical segments make it sound like a black metal band ambushed an opera and then joined in. Other similarities can be made with Norway’s Limbonic Art as well as moments that remind me of early Nokturnal Mortem especially with the overlong “Intro / Switez” that is right out of the “Goat Horns” playbook.

I have mixed feelings about AUTUMNAL NIGHT. On the one hand it’s a very unique album that takes the classical orchestral sounds to levels most black metal bands wouldn’t even consider but to the point where they often dominate the album for too long. The compositions are well thought out and the dynamic flow of the album is quite intriguing but on the other hand the production and mixing is crap. Sure lo-fi works well for the more raw and brutal forms of metal but on AUTUMNAL NIGHT the black metal parts are set too low in the mix while the oft cheesy keyboards are set too high. Overall it’s an interesting release with lots of choral vocal styles offering a beauty and the beast effect with the raspy outrage.

While Ihsahn is getting a lot of praise for his 2024 release that mixes orchestral elements with black metal, many are unaware that HELLVETO was doing the same thing long ago however AUTUMNAL NIGHT was pretty much finding L.O.N. lingering in demo mode and his mastery of production and mixing would improve as time goes on. Musically i love this but the production is so wrong it hurts. Still though L.O.N. has proven to be a musical mastermind of both black metal and dark ambient styles for several decades now and seems he is in no danger of burning out any time soon. Sometimes the drifting into opera can be a bit too much but overall the orchestral classical moments are pleasant.

Vehemency It makes me feel bad to discover bands like Hellveto this late, now knowing that he has released a million albums already. Wiara, nadzieja..., potepienie - the third and final part of an album trilogy from recent years - is a true monster of epic folk black metal à la Summoning and latter era Graveland.

And how well is this done! Even if influences can be heard, Hellveto has its own aura, bringing magical orchestral melodies from behind every corner. Metal is not much audible, the focus is on creating glorious landscapes of nature and battlegrounds where metal instrumentation has more of a backing role to the melody heavy music. There’s a ton of layers on the album: something new is always there to be heard, including even bass guitar. Drums are played on a real kit and, if I’m not totally wrong, this is a rather new feature on Hellveto.

Albums that amaze me are always hard to review because I’m having a lack of words trying to explain why something is so good, so I’ll end up saying that there’s just something in this record that has personally moved me, and that doesn’t happen too often, especially with promo albums received for review purposes (which means heavy exposure to mediocre music). Wiara, nadzieja..., potepienie covers a lot of moods from anger to sadness, always keeping a unique, obscure atmosphere within. All this is executed well with a plethora of different instruments.

So if you’re up for a journey through beautiful and almost surreal landscapes, then do yourself a favour and pick up Wiara, nadzieja..., potepienie. In addition to the 7-song main album, a second disc of material related to the trilogy theme is attached to the package as well, making sure you won’t get tired anytime soon: in total, there’s almost two hours of material, much thanks to the second disc comprising over 20-minute songs. And, as usual, only time will tell if this is worth even a higher score: right now I must settle to a close to perfect rating.