Formed in 2009 by Mat "Kvohst" McNerney, who having already made a name for himself in extreme metal bands in the UK where he was born and raised, and again in the Norwegian Black Metal scene, finally found his home in the land of the midnight sun. Settling in a country where mythology, tradition and pre-Christian heritage is still alive McNerney, (who also fronts 1980s-excess-tinged gothic pop band Grave Pleasures), found solace in the constant reflection of Finland's pagan past, awakening secret knowledge that led to the formation of Hexvessel. Since their acclaimed debut album 'Dawnbearer' (2011), Hexvessel have released two further albums of forest folk and bewitching psychedelia. They have played sold out headline tours in their homeland, been nominated for 2 Finnish Grammy awards, toured Europe together with bands like Sabbath Assembly and Alcest, graced the main stage at Roadburn in Holland and performed at SXSW in Texas, seeing their music on the charts and on many critics lists. They embellished their sonic rituals with mushroom-induced psychedelia on third and most recent best-selling album ‘When We Are Death’ to widespread critical acclaim and continue to develop their sound. Their new album All Tree sees the band expand upon McNerney's personal spiritual journey. Reunited with his co-songwriter from Dawnbearer, Andrew McIvor, they unfurl their primordial storytelling with a contemporary command of song-craft.
During the writing of All Tree, as he sat by the fire in his summer house in the Finnish wilderness, McNerney recalled the summers of his youth, spent listening to Celtic ghost stories on his father’s family farm in Galway, Ireland. He began to write music that grew out of that connection between myth and nature and wanted the album to symbolise a pathway toward a spiritual revival of the old fables. From a youth spent in pastoral England to the boggy marsh woods of Ireland, to his homeland forests of Finland, McNerney’s Hexvessel reveals nature’s universal tales of hidden spirits. The pagan wilds are portals to reality. You go through them and you enter the universe.
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), and the occult found-sounds of Antti Haapapuro (Aural Hypnox/Arktau Eos), 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, Hexvessel have created a sound that is both ancient and modern. All Tree 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.
Finland's Hexvessel will release their new album All Tree on February 15th 2019 via their own imprint Secret Trees, in an exclusive partnership with Century Media.
Hexvessel’s All Tree was:
Mathew Kvohst McNerney - Vocals
Andrew McIvor - Acoustic guitars
Kimmo Helén - Piano, Keys, Viola, Bass guitar
Jukka Rämänen - Drums, Percussion, Bass guitar
Jesse Heikkinen - Lead guitar, Acoustic guitars & 12-string guitars
Antti Haapapuro - Sound effects, field recordings, master of ceremonies
Marja Konttinen - Vocals, percussion
With session members:
Daniel Pioro - Violin
Dirk Campbell - Flutes, Duduk
Hexvessel discography:
Dawnbearer (2011)
No Holier Temple (2012)
When We Are Death (2016)
All Tree (2019)
Kindred (2020)
Polar Veil (2023)
Diamonds
Hexvessel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
Well that's one way to lose these
Walking blues
Diamonds on the soles of your shoes
She was physically forgotten
And then she slipped into my pocket
She said you've taken me for granted
Because I please you
Wearing these diamonds
And I could say oo oo oo
As if everybody knows
What I'm talking about
As if everybody here would know
Exactly what I was talking about
Talking about diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She makes the sign of a teaspoon
He makes the sign of a wave
The poor boy changes clothes
And he puts on after-shave
To compensate for his ordinary shoes
And she said honey take me dancing
But they ended up by sleeping
In a doorway
By the bodegas and the lights on
Upper Broadway
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes
She's a rich girl,
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
With nothing to lose
The song “Diamonds” by Hexvessel recounts the story of two individuals from divergent social and economic backgrounds brought together by their common love for material possessions, particularly diamonds, but above all, their sense of escapism. The first verses of the song highlight the subjectivity in defining craziness or perhaps unconventional behaviour, as people brand the female protagonist crazy for her love for diamonds. However, the phrase “diamonds on the soles of her shoes” symbolizes her status, wealth, extravagance but also illuminates how her possessions help her deal with her ‘walking blues’, an intriguing metaphor for probably the emptiness she feels within herself.
The third stanza introduces the male protagonist, who is less materially privileged and doesn't wear diamonds, but instead, tries to overcompensate for his average shoes by wearing after-shave, emphasizing the shallow nature of performative gendered norms the society has set in place. The following lines talk of the singers' attempt to experience the high life by visiting the exclusive ballrooms or dance clubs, but instead, end up sleeping in the streets outside the bodegas. Interestingly, the song doesn’t necessarily depict their state as miserable or unfortunate, but through their wearing of diamonds on their shoes, they shine bright in the dimness of their surroundings.
The song is open to many interpretations that go beyond the superficiality of materialism, as the two individuals may symbolize the conflicting parts of human nature seeking to escape the realities of life through delusive means. The track's melody, punctuated by African rhythms, encourages the listener to dance to the delightful song, but perhaps also highlights cultural exchange and how music can bring people from different backgrounds together.
Line by Line Meaning
People say she's crazy
She's often labelled as crazy by people around her.
She got diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She wears diamonds on the soles of her shoes, which is one way to forget about her walking blues.
Well that's one way to lose these
Wearing diamonds on the soles of her shoes is one way she tries to forget about her walking blues.
Walking blues
She's sad and has a melancholic feeling that often comes out when she's walking alone.
She was physically forgotten
Nobody cared or paid attention to her physically.
And then she slipped into my pocket
She somehow got into my life without me noticing.
With my car keys
She became a part of my daily routine, which is symbolized by the car keys.
She said you've taken me for granted
She expressed how I didn't appreciate her presence.
Because I please you
Despite her feeling unappreciated, she still did her best to make me happy.
Wearing these diamonds
She felt that wearing the diamonds was the least she could do to make me happy.
And I could say oo oo oo
I appeared to understand what she was talking about but in reality, I didn't.
As if everybody knows
I acted like everyone knew what she was talking about when in fact, I was clueless.
What I'm talking about
I didn't understand what she was trying to say.
Talking about diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She was talking about the diamonds on her shoes that symbolized her effort to make me happy despite feeling unappreciated.
She makes the sign of a teaspoon
She makes a small gesture like the sign of a teaspoon that signifies sweetness and care.
He makes the sign of a wave
He makes a more grand gesture like the sign of a wave that signifies masculinity and power.
The poor boy changes clothes
The poor boy tries to change his appearance to compensate for not having much.
And he puts on after-shave
He puts on after-shave to smell better and hide his poverty.
To compensate for his ordinary shoes
He tries to make up for his ordinary shoes by changing his appearance.
And she said honey take me dancing
She wanted to have fun and dance with me.
But they ended up by sleeping
They were too tired or too drunk to dance and ended up sleeping instead.
In a doorway
They slept in a doorway because they had nowhere else to go.
By the bodegas and the lights on
They slept by the bodegas and the lights on Upper Broadway because it was safer than sleeping elsewhere.
Wearing diamonds on the soles of their shoes
They wore diamonds on the soles of their shoes which symbolized their efforts to make the best of their situation.
She's a rich girl,
She's a rich girl who doesn't try to hide it.
She don't try to hide it
She's not ashamed of her wealth.
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
She wears diamonds on the soles of her shoes because she can afford it.
He's a poor boy
He's a poor boy who doesn't have much.
Empty as a pocket
He's empty and doesn't have much because he's poor.
With nothing to lose
He's at the bottom of society and has nothing to lose.
Contributed by Adam S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vuizendrecht
It sounds very different from Paul Simon's original. Frankly, I think this version is infinitely better.