Austin Lunn’s journey carried Panopticon from the urban density of Louisville to the remote northern reaches of Minnesota. It is here, surrounded by a landscape both inspiring and endangered, that “Det hjemsøkte hjertet” took shape. The album follows an elder hermit in the final week of his life, interweaving childhood memories with a lament for an ecosystem transformed by modern encroachment.
Dense, atmospheric, and unmistakably cinematic, “Det hjemsøkte hjertet” (‘The Haunted Heart’) shifts from the icy aggression of earlier works into something richer and more saturated – a palette of purples and burning oranges fading into dusk. The folk instrumentation once associated with Panopticon has largely receded, giving way to tones reminiscent of Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
The metal foundation remains, but the record’s strength lies in composition rather than speed: layered arrangements, long-form dynamics, and a strong narrative undercurrent. A full orchestral presence runs throughout, with Charlie Anderson’s string performances adding both gravity and movement. Each song features a different guest vocalist – Aaron Charles (Falls Of Rauros, Rhun), Jan Evan Åsli (Vemod), and Jan 'Winterherz' Van Berlekom (Waldgeflüster) among them – introducing distinct colours without compromising cohesion.
At heart, “Det hjemsøkte hjertet” is an elegy: for wilderness altered beyond recognition, for childhood memories fading into myth, and for a life spent in quiet communion with a world slipping away. Atmospheric black metal, post-black metal, or somewhere between them – Panopticon remains defined not by genre, but by the land that shapes its voice.
1. Woodland Caribou
2. The Great Silence, Extinct
3. Blood and Fur Upon The Melting Snow
4. The White Cedars
5. A Culture Of Wilderness
6. Lyset (‘The Light’)
7. Ghost Eyes In The Fire Light