Perhaps still most well known as the lead guitarist of Swedish Death ‘n’ Rollers Tribulation, who he left in 2020 after 16 years, Jonathan Hultén is slowly carving out a different and unconventional path which stands many miles from the darkened early Black Metal that his former band originally delivered. This week, he releases his new album, Eyes Of The Living Night.
Jonathan Hultén – Eyes Of The Living Night (Kscope)
Release Date: 31 January 2025
Words: Paul Hutchings
The captivating and innovative sound that he created on debut album, Chants From Another Place, in 2020 is well documented, whilst his reworkings of some of those songs intertwined with video workings in 2022’s The Forest Sessions proved that this was one incredibly gifted artist. Not because of huge swathes of crashing riffs or brutal kick drumming, but because of the way he weaved his immersive world around the melancholic poetry he created.
Both albums were excellent pieces of work, and it was a joy to rediscover them in preparation for the new album Eyes Of The Living Night. 
If I had just one word to describe this album, and those that moved before it, then it could only be eclectic. There are scores of influences that are waiting to be discovered on Eyes Of The Living Night. Whilst you can see and hear whispers of the Metal music he used to make, this is a much wider and more versatile range. Blues, film scores, and electronica underpins much of the bewitching work here. Hultén describes his music as “ambient Dream-grunge.”
Whilst I am drawn by the aural sensory experience, one must remember that Hultén’s approach is far wider and highly holistic with visual art and self-drawn animations, which serve to provide a deeper and wider connection with the emotions he conveys. There is plenty to explore in a total sensory experience.
So, what about the title and the meaning of Eyes Of The Living Night? “Eyes Of The Living Night is about reawakening a sense of awe and wonder in one’s perception of the world,” Jonathan Hultén says, “finding imagination to be a key to breaking free from the wheels of stagnation and to rediscover hidden treasures within the depths of one’s mind.
“To plunge into the abyss of your own fears and anxieties and to emerge on the other side, transformed by the experience. The ‘living night’ as a concept symbolizes the mystery and hidden creative potential we all carry.”
Twelve songs provide a stunning listening experience. The longest track here is the opener, The Saga & The Storm. Instantly transporting you into a dreamlike state, this is a beguiling five and a half minutes, which should, if you are in the right frame of mind, take you deep into the world that Jonathan Hultén has created.
Some songs contain the progressive elements that feature in bands such as Vola, Leprous, and Riverside. Afterlife, which follows The Sag & The Storm, is immediate, haunting and lingering, whilst the short Falling Mirages provides a psychedelic tinge that draws from the sixties.
It is a combination of mournful and joyous moments that make this such a complex and intriguing release. There is no urgency in the music, with time to breathe and expand. Despite this, no song overstays its welcome, with only the opener topping the five-minute mark.
Jonathan Hultén deep and reflective lyrics echo personal experience, forming the basis for some of the most glorious soundscapes you will hear in 2025. Themes of isolation, personal growth and search for meaning all feature.
There is rich Hammond-esque organ accompanied by acoustic guitar on The Dream Was The Cure, the poignant piano on the delicately crafted Through The Fog, Into the Sky, and the Western feel of Vast Tapestry. All are uniquely different, all captivating in their own way. It is this combination that provides the intrigue.
As you reach Starbather, the final emotional track with its Beatles feel, it is impossible not to want play this album again. It is no wonder that Hultén is in demand. Fitting together into one story, each part can also stand individually.
Eyes Of The Living Night is a journey that continues with every song, a journey I encourage you to take.
