Raven’s review of Holissstik’s Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude.
When I received the album, the project’s name caught my attention. Let’s start with a definition: In epistemology or the humanities, “holistic” refers to the doctrine that relates knowledge of the particular or the individual to that of the whole, the larger context in which it exists. In short: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Holissstik is the new collaborative and experimental musical project by Norwegian producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor-Helge Skei (founding member of Manes and Lethe). The idea for this project emerged in 2024 when Skei was looking through old, unfinished songs from other projects. Holissstik is difficult to describe, as it is a blend of Metal, Electronic music, Jazz, Trip-Hop, and other elements that reflect Skei’s vision. He gave his collaborators very few instructions, no rules, and no limitations, in the hope of creating something greater than the sum of its parts. According to Skei, collaboration is therefore the project’s DNA.
What can I say? The Rhythm of Silence starts off like a Kraftwerk track with vocals reminiscent of Heavenly Voice from the 2000s, and I’m already in love with the song – even though the male vocals of French rapper Pierre Ripka (aka K-Rip) bother me (Well, I don’t like Rap – please be kind). This project is risky, very risky, because the only thing holding it together is that Skei stays the course. But curiously, the album is surprisingly easy to listen to despite the large number of contributors (about twenty different artists, including some Buddhist monks who just happened to be passing by). It’s impossible to pin any kind of label on it.
My favorite track? Projections. Although it’s the shortest, it’s the one that left the strongest impression on me out of all the songs on the album, possibly because of certain dissonant sounds that I’m more sensitive to and the kind of screams that run throughout it. The album ends with the title track, which leaves a definite sense of sadness in the heart and truly lives up to its name. For a moment, I almost felt like I was hearing E.S. Posthumus. Listening to this album didn’t leave me indifferent, but rather perplexed, wondering exactly what I’d just heard, and I think it will take me several listens to fully appreciate it. Even though I don’t seem as enthusiastic as I am with other albums, this one deserves to exist, and I’d happily listen to it again. Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude features artists who have worked with Skei on other projects as well as new collaborators, including Anna Murphy (formerly of Eluveitie, lead singer of Cellar Darling), Marita Hellem (Martyra), Martyna Halas (Rage of Light), and Torstein Parelius, among others.
I see Holissstik as a bit of a weird one, like Chaostar or L’Eglise du Mouvement Péristaltique Inversé, but with an extra touch of modernity and creativity, and it’s way more uplifting to listen to than those totally bullshit New Age practices.
80/100
