Collection: Holissstik

With three decades full of credits spanning from black metal and doom to the avant-garde, Tor-Helge Skei has remained one of the most consistent and surprising talents in extreme music. The debut album from his latest project dwells on the darkness that permeates our lives. But while haunted by deeply personal visions, Holissstik finds solace through the spirit of collaboration.

After meticulously sketching what would become Holissstik's opening chapter at his home studio, Skei allowed outside influences to take control. Featuring a wide net of more than 15 collaborators that includes members of his band Manes and Buddhist monks, This Endless Solitude unfolds with surprising twists and turns right from the start. “The Rhythm of Silence” slips seamlessly through the cracks between trip-hop and industrial noise into rap.

But amidst its deep-seeded anxieties, intrusive thoughts and other ceaseless discomforts, This Endless Solitude is held together by a sliver of hope. “Would you take this heart / to relieve my chest / of the heaviness”, a familiar face in Martyna Halas offers during the album’s enchanting centerpiece. It’s not a question but an invitation to become something greater than ourselves.

With This Endless Solitude, Holissstik emerge as a boundless, unified force.