Hoyt – Nighthymns

As long as I can remember I’ve always had nightmares about Dracula. The way that he creeps in the shadows and silently moves throughout the streets to only stalk his prey until he feels they’re alone so he can strike. Growing up, I was only deathly afraid of a couple things; The Puppet Master, Altered States and this fucking asshole. Call me whatever you want but the whole Nosferatu movement in the 1920s haunted me at a young age and it’s something that I’ll never forget. True, I’m older now and I can cope with it on a more professional level of not shitting my pants when I see him but it still fucked me up major. Why am I bringing up classic films and creepy as shit creatures that made me piss my bed as a child? Well, one simple reason and the only you’ll need to lock yourself inside a closet while this blasts off your speakers, that reason is Hoyt. A black metal project from Romania that is the exact same thing that Nosferatu is, only in audio form.

Hoyt delivers black metal that will make your whole neighborhood lock every window at night and watch every child as they play in the front yard. Is Hoyt a pedophile or a rapist of some sort? Far from it actually, just think of their debut record “Nighthymns” as a paranormal entity that can travel as fast as light and will destroy everything in your world with a simple cast of black magic and witchery. With a track titled “Gang Raping Nuns”, you should get the sense that these Romanians have no regrets in anything they do and will apologize for nothing. While the riffs are very nice and do put a nice touch to the final product, the vocals and bass are the two things that really shine on this record. I would say the drumming is very much above par but it’s all programmed so I can’t give it that much props, can I? Technically I could praise or bash the programming skills of Bosho, who also prays guitar in this project, but we’ll just say that it’s a pretty decent programming since I could only tell it was actually a drum machine during certain sections of the record.

Sherpe, the vocalist, has the type of raw, unadulterated power that only someone who lives in darkness might have. It’s the same power that I imagine a satanic priest having as he walks past holy crosses and bibles while they all set ablaze without him even looking at them. Asmodeu, the bassist, is also running on every ounce of horsepower that’s given to him by the dark prince. “Lupul”, which means wolf in Romania and is also the ninth track on the record, showcases how well he stays in rhythm with everyone but also in certain sections can soar above everyone with how well he can just work those strings all over the neck of his bass. Listen carefully because you may not be able to hear it but trust me, he’s ripping flesh apart with those chords.

At the end of the day, I can recommend this record to anyone who digs black metal but remember to keep in mind that if you want something haunting and bone-chilling, “Nighthymns” might be for you. It has all the elements that are needed plus more with the below average production and the atmospheres of damnation upon a civil town of unknowing, dying souls.

Listen to “Gang Raping Nuns” below:

Official Metal-Archives. Official Myspace. Official Last.fm. Download the record here.