Beauty Meets Brutality in Hei’An’s Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye

Slovenian modern metal band Hei’An have always thrived on theatrics, and their sophomore album Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye doubles down on it. Recorded at Beartracks Studio with Randy Slaugh (Architects, The Amity Affliction) and mixed by Joseph McQueen and Zakk Cervini, the record is polished without losing its raw edge. It’s a cinematic ride full of buildups that rise slowly before hitting listeners full force, balancing intimacy and aggression in a way that resembles Bad Omens, VOLA, and Leprous without feeling derivative.

The opening moments play like the start of a film. “Aberration” layers techno-tinged beats and uneasy vocals that hint at chaos to come, before “My Harness” tears the door open with heavy riffs, soaring cleans, and courageous screams that hit just as hard as the industry’s best. This push-and-pull between beauty and brutality runs throughout the album, with each track pushing the balance in a new direction.

Where songs like “To Let You Down” and “Dearest” lean into pure heaviness, showcasing feral screams, pounding drums, and breakdowns designed to guarantee riling up the pit, others, such as “What a Shame” and “Beneath the Sinking Moon”, slow the pace, creating moodier, gothic atmospheres before crashing into explosive finales. Hei’An seems most comfortable in these moments of contrast, moving between vulnerability and rage without losing momentum.

Part of what makes the album compelling is how often Hei’An takes unexpected turns. “Undertow” builds like a storm, detailed and mystical, dissolving into a guitar tone that feels almost otherworldly. “Make Me Want to Leave You” plays with shifts in time and tone, swinging between stripped-back vocal focus and electronic backbeats. Even “Liberated,” which at first seems like one of the record’s simpler tracks, twists into a dark, almost pop group-like melody before unleashing a guitar solo that could soundtrack a video game boss fight.

The album’s final track, “What Do You Have to Save?”, stands as both its catchiest and most thought-provoking moment. With upbeat, punk-tinged instrumentation driving lyrics about existential uncertainty, it embodies the tension Hei’An do so well: light and dark coexisting, hooks wrapped around despair. Vocalist Matic describes it as exploring whether there’s “anything left that’s worth fighting for”, but leaves the question unanswered.

Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye isn’t always an easy listen, but it’s one that will keep you hooked. The album thrives on extremes, soaring vocals against guttural screams, smooth melodies against crushing riffs. At times, it shifts from pure heaviness to cathartic release. More than anything, this new album shows Hei’An aren’t afraid to experiment and keep pushing their sound forward.

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