HÉR are seekers and storytellers. Their debut album, Monochrome, reflects polar extremes: fire and ice, violence and tenderness, bravery and care, the brutality of war and the solace that’s brought by peace.
“Throughout Monochrome, HÉR move freely between free jazz, folk, world music and deep Nordic-rooted atmospheres, without losing coherence”, Metal Epidemic writes in a 4/5 review.
“It’s as if Steve Von Till decided to score the Poetic Edda”, Jon Barbas writes for Heavy Metal Philosophy.
Monochrome comes out tomorrow, Friday, January 30, but you can hear all seven stirring songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Listen Below:
Pre-order & Pre-save
Monochrome balances restraint with intensity. Throat singing, bowed strings, percussion and subtle electronics intertwine to form an album that feels both ancient and immediate. “Chant” opens with amidst a meditative expanse before moving into the spirit of the Icelandic fjords on “Needles and Bark”, trance-like introspection on “Patience in Observation,” the grounded momentum of “Going Down,” and the fervent, almost hymn-like force of “Praise the Day.”
“HÉR — meaning ‘here’ in Icelandic — is more than a name; it is a call to presence” the band says. “We stand ‘here,’ united by rhythm, voice, and story, ready to bring the raw essence of the North to those who are willing to listen, feel, and be transformed. Sit here with us — sestu hérna — and witness what begins now.”
By exploring the human nature described in Norse mythology, the musicians make a deep insight into the emotions embedded in its verses. They bring out the dark beauty of the North and its extremes: fire and ice, violence and tenderness, bravery and care, the brutality of war and the solace that peace brings, struggle and feast, the milky sweetness of honey and the salty tang of blood, love and hatred, birth and death, beginning and end, terror and awe…
Sestu hérna, sit here… sit here and listen, sit here and grow, sit here and drift away.
Line-up:
Maciej Świniarski — Vocal, Percussion
Tomasz Chyła — Vocal, Violin, Synth Percussion
Piotr Chęcki — Saxophone, Percussion
Tomasz Sadecki — Bass Guitar, Synth, Percussion
Sławek Koryzno — Drums, Percussion
Production Credits:
Recorded at Monochrom Studio, Gniewoszów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.
Produced & Engineered by Ignacy Gruszecki.
Mixed & Mastered by Marcin Bors at Fonoplastykon, Wrocław, Poland.
Guest Musicians:
Magdalena Kuraś „Freya”
Cover Art:
Mary Zaleska
Photography:
Daria Szczygieł (https://dariaszczygiel.com/)
Pre-save & Pre-order: https://orcd.co/hermonochrome
Follow HÉR:
Bandcamp: https://hersom.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbandofficialprofile/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/her.bandofficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4yHViIb0eCl4eVMFcVnzm5
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/h%C3%A9r/1751778615