Hartlight – As Above, So Below

Hartlight
As Above, So Below
Label: Kvlt und Kaos Productions
Out: March 15^th, 2024
Playing time: 49:14

Hartlight from Lausanne, the capital of the Swiss canton of Vaud, recorded the EP ‘From Midland And Beyond’ as a duo. The project has since grown into a four-piece band. And they are obviously no longer a purely Swiss band, as musicians from France have also joined them.

The Swiss band’s debut album is certainly something to look forward to.

That’s what I wrote in my EP review two years ago. And the debut is now here. ‘As Above, So Below’ was released back in March. And it’s a concept album about alchemy and magic.

The epic, even cinematic introduction is provided by the title track ‘As Above, So Below’. The orchestration and choruses create plenty of bombast. Noémie Marie’s vocals are convincing with her clear-as-a-bell soprano. Without falling into opera mode. Musical diversity is then provided by ‘That Which Stagnates Is A Lia’, classic Heavy Metal with Symphonic elements. Hard riffs meet epic choruses and orchestral passages. Noémie switches to mezzo-soprano. She obviously doesn’t shy away from subtle growls and high Metal screams either. There is also a filigree guitar solo. ‘The Land Of The Star’ also goes at a fast pace, mainly thanks to the riffs. And the singer easily keeps up with the tempo. Nevertheless, everything here is also very melodic. But back to the epic. ‘Bound To Eternity’ sounds very majestic in parts, sometimes interspersed with sacred sounds. The choruses at the beginning of ‘Let The Fangs Bite’ create a terrifying atmosphere, which is continued by the staccato-like riffs. And this despite the fact that the song is mainly mid-tempo, apart from the guitar solo, which picks up speed. Noémie has a male vocal partner on the ballad ‘The Garden In The Heart’. Unfortunately, the press information is silent on who this is. But the two harmonise very well together. ‘And Nature Unfolds Once Again’ is once again classic Heavy Metal with Symphonic additions. The riffs literally gallop ahead. The album concludes with the nine-minute epic ‘All Life Begins In The Dark’. At the beginning, the song seems a little doomy. But that soon changes when the riffs begin to push forward. There are a few rhythm and tempo changes, which makes for a progressive orientation.

With ‘As Above, So Below’, Hartlight has succeeded in creating a convincing debut album. The quality of the EP is easily surpassed. The only thing I’m not really happy with is the artwork. But you want to listen to the music, so the cover is rather unimportant. There is a lot of epic music to be heard, but also classic Heavy Metal. Both form a balanced mixture. I have already commented on Noémie Marie’s good vocal performance.

Hartlight – All Life Begins In The Dark: https://youtu.be/TKK5VrIVDIQ?si=jgVM7erHZpS_Dy1K

Lineup:

Noémie Marie – Vocals, Lyrics
Adrien Djouadou – Music, Guitar, Bass, Backings, Duduk, Programming, Musical Production
Adrien Guingal – Guitar
Pierre d’Astora – Drums

Track list:

• As Above, So Below
• That Which Stagnates Is A Liar
• The Land Of The Star
• Bound To Eternity
• Let The Fangs Bite
• The Garden In The Heart
• And Nature Unfolds Once Again
• All Life Begins In The Dark