The new album by Wrocław’s H.EXE is their first fully-fledged studio release in over a dozen years. In so-called popular music, that’s practically a whole era – trends have changed, as have ways of consuming music, platforms, algorithms, the entire environment. But in the dark independent world, time flows differently. Someone who attended Castle Party in 2012 and suddenly found themselves at the 2025 edition might feel that not much has changed – perhaps only that the beer at the castle is better than it was back then.
The scene, of course, evolves – slowly, but still. New projects emerge with influences from Berghain-style techno, sometimes drawing on the retro aesthetics of the ’80s and ’90s, like NHMN which performed at the Castle Party few years ago, or the bands which were in Bolkow this year, like Ultra Sunn and Aux Animaux. Yet the core remains the same. Fans of aggrotech, dark electro, and goth industrial still listen to the same cornerstones, while veterans like Hocico or Suicide Commando keep releasing records in their own style.
H.EXE belongs to that old school – though paradoxically, when their debut Killing Monsters (2011) came out, it was an absolute novelty in Poland. Yes, there were Skon (Nic realnego), Bodycall, Controlled Collapse, the first recordings of Reaktor7x or Unsinn on Halotan Records, but no one played such intense, pure aggrotech stripped from EBM foundations. Even earlier, Odo had created the first EP Realms of Unhuman Pleasures on his own, and for me the breakthrough moment was Venom – a simple but powerful production by Rex Rotten, with Odo’s vocals, which stood out on the scene from the very beginning. Then came the LP Human Flesh Recipes, several EPs, and a string of excellent concerts that built the band’s image as something separate, perhaps niche, but fully thought-out.
And then – over a decade-long break. Although in the meantime the band played live and released occasional material, they are only now making a grand return. Anthems of the Unseen Tide is a double album, released by blackenedArt. On the first disc (Initial) we find guitar versions inspired by the live lineup – with Luke on guitar, Ad-X and Einar on keyboards. The second disc (Legacy) is pure dark electro, in the spirit of classic H.EXE.
Initially, I had my doubts – I like when an artist guides the listener, not offering two equivalent versions to choose from. But in fact, this is what life looks like for many dark independent projects today: electronics in the studio, and on stage guitars, bass, live drums. H.EXE simply shows both worlds. The production of Initial was handled by Haldor Grunberg (Satanic Audio), known for mixing Behemoth and playing in Thaw, and it shows in the dense, monumental sound. The question is whether it’s not too heavy and saturated. Legacy was mixed by Ad-X and Odo, mastered by Einar – here there’s more space and clarity, allowing every arrangement nuance to be heard.
This is a concept album – not only lyrically (Lovecraft inspirations: The Bells, The Outpost, Antarktos, Festival, The Nightmare Lake, On Reading Lord Dunsany’s Book of Wonder), but also structurally. It runs for 35 minutes, without fillers, with a clear dramatic arc. It opens with At the Threshold – a mid-tempo colossus. Then Sunless Tides – the atmosphere thickens even more. The horns opening the track recall symphonic motifs from Bathory, but for me above all Burzum’s Det Som Engang Var (opening my favourite Burzum album – Hvis Lyset Tar Oss). The album picks up speed with the next track, Auroras and Faint Suns, in which Odo urges us to abandon all hope. Thankfully, that appeal does not concern hope for more great tracks on this album.
The middle of the record is my favourite part, consisting of the most anthemic tracks on the whole disc – The Old Museum, Blood on the Altar, and Elder’s Lair. Two of them we already knew from EPs and live performances. I especially love The Old Museum, which beautifully shows how Odo skillfully uses his voice (despite the narrow form of black metal rasp) – whisper, pause, scream, all underpinned by bass rumbling like an awakened deep-sea creature. Meanwhile, Elder’s Lair is the most danceable moment of the album, with a synth motif evoking classic dark electro, as well as earlier H.EXE work.
The finale – That Thing Within and Sphere on Sphere – returns to the monumental quality of the opening. In Sphere on Sphere, the guitars and synths sound as if a Lovecraftian ancient being were surfacing from a sunken city. Here, it’s worth mentioning the cover art by Paula “Yu” Szymkowska from Her Own World – absolutely beautiful, perfectly capturing the album’s atmosphere. I’d love to see this album on vinyl in a large format, as it’s artwork one can immerse in – literally and figuratively.
Altogether, it shows that H.EXE today is not only keeping up with the scene, but is one of the most important Polish projects in dark electro / industrial metal. And not because the competition is weak – simply because Anthems of the Unseen Tide is a well-written, cohesive, and excellently executed album. If I had to recommend it to someone unfamiliar with H.EXE, I would definitely mention the evident nods to Samael – if you love Passage, you should check out Anthems….