Formed by Mat McNerney in 2009, Hexvessel write songs in the oral tradition of the old balladeers. They weave everyman stories that create a bond between the teller and the audience, bringing alive a sense of shared purpose and spiritual history. With wife and collaborator Marja Konttinen, like-minded troubadour and co-writer Kimmo Helén, guitarist Jesse Heikkinen, the primal rhythms of Jukka Rämänen (Dark Buddha Rising), the bass tones of Ville Haakonen and the occult found-sounds of Antti Haapapuro (Aural Hypnox/Arktau Eos), Mat McNerney's Hexvessel has truly become a melting cauldron or “vessel,” a potent “hex” of spellwork.
By drawing on older folk acts like Shirley Collins, Vashti Bunyan, later folk rock bands such as Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention and King Crimson, to more recent artists such as Current93, Nick Cave and Coil, imbued with Karelian and Nordic folklore rhythms, they have created a sound that is both ancient and modern. Hexvessel is about connection and roots, bringing the spirits of the past that we all share to a more mystical and fulfilling vision of the future.