Rarely has a debut album sounded as complete and sophisticated as "Hjarta" from MAUNAH. The Danish doom newcomers seemingly just appear out of the blue to deliver a modern doom metal masterpiece! Well, MAUNAH consists of veterans of the Danish rock, folk, and metal scenes such as Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof.
The popular frontman has toured extensively with the beloved Nordic folk band KRAUKA, and he has also released several critically acclaimed albums under the artist’s name LOS. The band chemistry is just right, all the stars aligned – and remarkable talent, fresh musical ideas as well as mature songwriting flowed together naturally in MAUNAH. Although the roots of "Hjarta" reach deep into the melodic Scandinavian doom tradition, there is so much more happening on this album.
A dash of Nordic folk here, a pinch of modern metal there, which is boosted by renowned producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MOONSPELL, HEAVEN SHALL BURN et al.) being responsible for recording the groove parts with the Danes' rhythm section. With each new spin, "Hjarta" keeps giving as MAUNAH have crammed their album with excellent ideas and layers of details.
In the Danes' own poetic words: "Maunah is the sound of despair and open skies. Maunah is leaves crunching underfoot, the cold of the forest floor seeping through the soles. And Maunah is the warmth of the sun on the face and oxygen filling the lungs.” With "Hjarta", MAUNAH offer a remarkable debut that goes well beyond the average and exceeds expectations. How far can these Danes get?