Review: HIRAETH – Tales Of Resistance (Full album, 2025) | Atmospheric black metal

Posted on by abmn

https://youtu.be/Yl_zf4UQXaY

Band info

Band: HIRAETH
Album: ‘Tales Of Resistance‘
Genre: atmospheric black metal
Release September 5th, 2025
Location: Wales

Review

Just a few weeks ago, we presented the Welsh project HIRAETH with its self-titled single; today, we return to dive deeper into their first full-length release, ‘Tales Of Resistance‘, and explore the message behind its lyrics.

The word nationalism was coined in the 18th–19th century, alongside the birth of the ‘modern nation-state’ in Europe, as a form of popular sovereignty and self-determination under ruling empires. But throughout history, it has been extensively wielded as a weapon of chauvinism, imperialism, and right-wing authoritarianism. For Wales, as for many minority cultures, these pressures have long threatened its cultural and historical identity.

We outright reject that reactionary strain while recognising the right of colonised peoples to reclaim language, land, and history. HIRAETH’s project falls into the latter register: not the nationalism of borders and exclusion, but the reclamation of a culture under erasure.

The music mirrors this ethos. HIRAETH draws on the raw intensity and atmospheric depth of the ’90s Nordic black metal wave: tremolo-picked guitars, relentless blast beats, and a sonic sense of desolation. The songs evoke both personal and collective memory, emphasising the fragility and transience of life and culture.

HIRAETH shapes absence and memory into sound, and ‘Tales Of Resistance‘ lingers, echoing quietly yet insistently in the mind.

Other links and platforms:

BC: https://hiraethbm.bandcamp.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/hiraeth_bm
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/HIRAETH_BM