Nebelhexë
Laguz – within the lake

July 2004
Released: 2004, Karmageddon Media/Sound Pollution
Rating: 1.0/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

Nebelhexë is Andrea Haugen who’s been a member of the band with the very strange name Hagalaz’ Runedance that released records with pagan spirituality style of northern Europe and in the style of folk/medieval music.



Andrea felt that she wanted to take a step further into some more artistic freedom with new found inspiration both musically and lyric wise that’s why she began doing music under the name Nebelhexë (which is German for a specific owl).



She has produced the album by herself and also written the music and 8 of the 10 tracks. One of the songs is a cover by Lene Lovich called “BIRD SONG” and a re-make of the old Hagalaz’ Runedance song “RAVEN NIGHT”. The album was recorded and mixed in September –03 in Akkerhaugen Lydstudio by Thorbjörn Akkerhaugen who also plays some of the instruments. Andrea has created a very nice sound picture that’s sounds really dark and melancholic and I think that’s the way she wanted it to sound.



This album is my first meeting with her and I have never heard of her or her band before. The impression I’ve got from the album is a very mysterious and different feeling. Andrea doesn’t really now how to describe her music either. The closest she got is that the music sounds like gothic music, especially 80’s gothic, influenced by industrial synth and pop. I think that the music sounds mostly like very sad and dark gothic with a lot of industrial, any pop or synth does absolutely not influence this. But there are clearly influences by pagan music and Andrea is at the top of the mix with her extremely sad and gloomy voice that fits excellent to the dark sound picture she has created on “LAGUZ – WITHIN THE LAKE”. She takes a step further in the booklet where she has added some of the paintings and pictures to create a more mystical picture to surround the music.



I like gothic music if its good gothic but this feel too monotonous and not much happens at all on the album. Andrea does not impress with her vocal either she hasn’t got any voice capacity at all. The only positive thing about the album is the mix between pagan music and ordinary goth, that makes the album a bit different. I haven’t got any particular favorite song because everyone blends into each other. I have listened to this a lot and it doesn’t get any better despite all the time I’ve put down on the album.