Ian Highhill – A Hymn Among Gravestones

Ian Highhill
A Hymn Among Gravestones
Out: 13^th February 2026
Playing time: 40:44

Ian Highhill, a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer from Finland, is well known in the Heavy Metal scene. He was the singer of the Finnish Power Metal band Astralion, which apparently broke up in 2024. Since 2020 or 2021, he has been pursuing a solo career. Following his debut ‘Man in White’ and the 2024 LP ‘Gallows’, his third album ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’ is now complete. Once again, he recorded and produced the album on his own. However, he also performs live with his band.

Just like a real storm, ‘In The Eye Of The Storm’ really takes off. Although there should actually be no wind, i.e. silence, in the eye of the storm, riffs and fast guitar licks dominate here. The title track, ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’, sounds very majestic. Subtle riffs and calm vocals. Organ sounds provide melodic accents in the background. The icing on the cake is a well-crafted guitar solo. But the calm is already over with ‘In The Name Of Greed’. Hard, loud, rocking. In the middle section, the organ once again engages in a dialogue with the guitars. ‘The Oath Breaker’ is characterised at times by riffs that sound majestic, at times by riffs that rumble. Honestly, under the song title ‘Wild Winds’ I would have expected anything but a contemplative piano ballad. In addition, keyboard layers provide a lot of epicness. The master conjures up another classy guitar solo out of thin air. ‘The Guardians’ sounds completely different. It really rocks and is sung powerfully. The riffs are omnipresent. And, of course, there are also filigree guitar melodies for the ears. In the anthem ‘Insomnia’, solemn riffs pound away, and later you hear the calm vocals accompanied by equally calm guitar chords. The guitars in ‘Death Sentence’ increase the tempo, whether riffs or melodies. In contrast, there are some quiet passages before the solo guitar fires off. The alternation between fast and quieter songs continues on ‘Deal With The Devil’. A bass line can be heard now and then between the stomping riffs. Keyboards accompany the song for long stretches. The anthem ‘King Of Ashes’ is introduced by rhythmic drums. Later, the quiet interplay between drums and guitar is captivating.

Once again, Ian Highhill has succeeded in releasing a powerful Metal album. ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’ is on a similarly high level to “Gallows”. At that time, I wrote that one “can enjoy timelessly beautiful Hard Rock”. This also applies to the current work. Varied songwriting is excellently implemented by Ian Highhill’s musical skills.

Lineup (Album):

Ian Highhill – Vocals, All Instruments

Lineup (Live):

Ian Highhill – Vocals
Jens Kewin – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Krister Lundell – Bass, Backing Vocals
Matt Shreck – Drums

Track list:

• In The Eye Of The Storm
• A Hymn Amongst Gravestones
• In The Name Of Greed
• The Oath Breaker
• Wild Winds
• The Guardians
• Insomnia
• Death Sentence
• Deal With The Devil
• King Of Ashes