HORNWOOD FELL
MY BODY, MY TIME

Evolution is a long and complex process, which requires several, if not many different phases. Hornwood Fell, from the woods of central Italy, now reach the third landmark in their career, and keep on changing. Started from an all-round, classic and nineties-oriented black metal debut in 2014, the trio began adding new elements to their music on the sophomore album “Yheri” and now, with their new opus “My Body, My Time”, they are still walking along the path of evolution. Such change is quite eloquent from the very artworks that complete each of the band’s three albums. At first it was the wood, in its greeny and yellowy grey, surrounding a small, dark human figure; then man became prominent, in a suffering, fading shriek painted in blue, the woods just a frame in the background. Now it is pink, man the only true character in the picture, holding a timepiece, as if the band wanted to focus on humanity, leaving nature behind. Similar conclusions can be drawn when looking at Hornwood Fell language: what began as forest poetry in Italian, soon became English, and now is not even forest poetry anymore, with song titles such as “Her Name” and “The Livid Body”. Musically, sharp riffs are now mixed with more intricate patterns, the odd psychedelic hints sprout here and there, but what is mostly surprising is a completely new approach to vocals. The debut was a shrieking, earsplitting and raw lament, the sophomore album was a combination of screams and clean vocals, but here guitarist and vocalist Marco Basili renews his whole repertoire. Spanning from crystal-clean singing in the vein of bands like Novembre, to darker, harsher performances, this new approach brings the band way farther from the Norwegian forests of their beginnings and leads them towards personal, uncharted lands. The straight, uncompromising yet derivative attitude of their self-titled debut has become more surprising, unpredictable and varied. Mid-tempos, bass-led bridges and effects are now paramount in Hornwood Fell music, as well as a totally new range of vocal expression..