Sometimes, anger can yield beautiful expressions. The new Iterum Nata album was born under resentment and fury, but Heartwood is a soothing and gorgeous album nonetheless. The record released on April 17th.
Iterum Nata is Jesse Heikkinen of Finland, whom you may know as a former member of Hexvessel. You’ll recall I reviewed his 2024 treasure From the Infinite Light, which became one of my favorite albums that year. He’s back, this time with guest spots from King Dude, Alexander Kuoppala (ex-Children of Bodom), and Sami Hynninen.
Iterum Nata is a fascinating project. The music is a blend of folk, prog rock, doom, and even a little black metal. This concoction results in gritty, shadowy, organic music that feels at home in ancient forests, or within the dreamy ambience of our minds. This particular album leans more into the progressive rock side of things, with plenty of guitar work and keyboard highlights.
I’ll be honest, I prefer the Dead Can Dance-esque side of Iterum Nata, the misty darkness and gothic tendencies. There is almost none of that on Heartwood. And don’t think this is an energetic album because I say it leans into rock. No, it is certainly more driving than some his other work, but the guitars are mostly heavy and slow, and though you’ll hear some blast beats and faster tempos in some places, the album is overall still fairly ponderous and atmospheric.
Personally, I think the first half is the stronger segment this time. It starts with “Under the Willow Tree”, a track that transitions from acoustic gravy into blast beats and melodic guitars. “Forgiveness Undone” comes next with a subtle melody I really like and a strange chorus that has really grown on me. This half also has great tunes like the heavy “Feast On His Corpse”, the flowing instrumental brilliance of “The Forsaken Oath”, and the tender “Mona Lisa Smile”. “Only Ashes and Bone Remain” ends the first half with a King Dude duet and some righteous soloing. It’s rock solid.
The second half begins with “Mooncry Symphony” and its interlude. The interlude is delicate and sounds almost like Spanish acoustic, but the song itself is heavy and dark. I do think the last three tracks are all pretty strong. “I Have Been Sacrificed” has a sinister, almost Black Sabbath vibe, leering and looming and haunted. Then “Heartwood is Dead” is slower with some biting lyrics that make me feel sad. It’s here that you really feel the anger and bitterness that gave birth to the record. And then the closer, the two-minute acoustic ballad “Your God”, adds to those feelings, but also somehow offers freedom and hope? Sort of? It’s pretty heavy stuff from a lyrical perspective.
While I prefer From the Infinite Light, Heartwood is growing on me. It is strange and quirky, dark and sad, but it is also beautiful and has some mean hooks. Fans of progressive folk should really give it a shot.
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The PROG Mind 