ALBUM REVIEW: Her Bones In Whispers – Ordeal & Plight

There is always a time for riffs, breakdowns and virtuoso guitar solos in the alternative world, but there is also one for things to be brought down a few notches and contain fewer, if any of those elements. ORDEAL & PLIGHT are a band who evolved from a previous black metal outfit in 2012 with the aim of pushing as many musical boundaries as possible and never remaining in a comfort zone. The brainchild of Stefan Hackländer and Reiner H. Wiese, their second album Her Bones in Whispers, released May 21st via Eisenwald, sees the duo alongside a current personnel that includes members of DOOL and SECRETS OF THE MOON, although this is likely to change come the next release.

It’s rare for someone to be explicitly told the conditions for an album to be experienced in by the band themselves, but ORDEAL & PLIGHT‘s vision is invited to be realised, and that is why they have been firm in saying that this is not an album ‘for parties and other amusements’; rather, it is to be consumed in a solitary manner whilst in a contemplative state. In line with their desire to create music that is uncomfortable, such a moment may not be easy for individuals to spend long periods of time in, or to have heightened in a way they have no control over, but opening track I’m Seriously Not Over It makes both points a must within its first two minutes if the secrets in Her Bones in Whispers are to be fully revealed; the low-fi synths presented with a distorted voice waxing philosophically is not a straightforward start – and it only gets more reflective from there.

This is not to say there is no hint of guitars or bass on the album – they feature more than you might think – but they’re never the focal point, merely contributing to the overall heaviness of the album. Pictures At An Inhibition is the only track where colours a bit more vibrant than pale pastels and differing shades of monochrome are present as the pace picks up and there’s in more in terms of drums. Another factor is one set of vocals, provided by Cornelia Schmitt from MANDRAH, that float through the air like Julee Cruise and give an ethereal atmosphere to the likes of A Hole In the Ocean and Maybe Tomorrow. Perhaps the most well-known act to have associations with Her Bones in Whispers is PINK FLOYD, but even then it’s one specific album and year (1971’s Meddle) and in one song; the instrumental Empty Stages, as clean guitar notes ring out via a delay pedal.

If anything, the end of the record is where it hits its most bleak. 50.73743°, 0.24768°, the longest track, is titled with co-ordinates for Beachy Head in Eastbourne, a renowned suicide spot in the UK. The slow piano and strained, cracked vocals from DOOL’s Ryanne von Dorst are incredibly heartbreaking; that there’s very little else to round out the sound means it hits hard and immediately gets under the skin. Beautiful Fever is fuller, but the anguished cry of “I am nothing without you” also strikes a chord and the finale, Exit: Let’s Be Careful Out There, is not a calming way to bring things to a close, instead fading away with an air of aural bereavement.

Her Bones In Whispers is not an easy or simple listen, but those who enjoy their shoegaze, post-metal or the soundtrack to Twin Peaks may find a lot to enjoy across its 45 minutes. Without a shadow of a doubt, though, ORDEAL & PLIGHT have produced one of the most challenging and intense records of 2021 in a very unorthodox manner.

Rating: 8/10

Her Bones In Whispers is out now via Eisenwald.

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