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Back in 2004 we saw the release of Erde, the second full-length album of Forseti, Andreas Ritter's neo-folk project, and also the album on which his full potential was truly realized for the first time. The stylish packaging, consisting of a cardboard almost-a-digipak book-shaped box, done in a variety of shades of grey, and the booklet featuring a selection of nature photography in black and white, already give a reasonable indication of the kind of thing we can expect: melancholic, nature-inspired, folky romanticism.
Furthermore, on this album Ritter calls upon the help of a number of well-known names in the neo-folk scene, such as Ian Read of Fire & Ice, Kim Larsen of Of The Wand & The Moon, B'Eirth of In Gowan Ring, and Uwe Nolte of Orplid. Besides this, a number of lesser known musicians can also be heard on this album, adding, among other things, flutes and various string instruments to the instrumentation of this album.
And indeed: on a musical level this album again contains much of the romantic, melodic sounds we have come to expect from Forseti. The opener "Korn" is already a direct hit: a rather straightforward and, by Forseti's standards, upbeat song with rather catchy melodies and rhythms. It also becomes apparent almost immediately, that an improvement in Ritter's voice has taken place: here he sounds more confident, on-key, and generally stronger than on his earlier material. The second track, "Eismahd", was earlier featured on Sonne Hagal's album Helfahrt: Forseti's version is quite comparable, but has just a little bit fuller sound than the original. Other highlights on this album include "Empfindsamkeit", a rather simple song with especially a lot of emphasis on the vocals, and the melancholic and sad track "Sterne", which Ritter co-wrote with Kim Larsen. The final track, "Das Abendland", has a dreamy and relaxing sound; near the end of that track, a choir can be heard which is reminiscent of the later work of Empyrium. Overall, one could say that near the start of the album, Erde is a bit more active and upbeat, with songs such as "Korn", "Lichterflug", or "Erdennacht", whereas near the end of the album several more quiet and subdued tracks can be found.
Among other reasons due to the variety in melodies and ideas that can be found on it, Erde manages to sound fuller and more mature than Forseti's earlier material. Also improvements regarding the production and vocals and sound add to this impression.
In all likelihood, Erde will not manage to convince the critics of Forseti's music in general, who will argue that it is all just a bit too melodic, accessible, and 'nice'. But whether all of that matters that much, is another issue: after all, on this album, one can hear Andreas Ritter concentrate on the area where both his talents and his passions lie. And on that area, he managed to approach perfection so closely on Erde, that an eclipse review of this album is definitely warranted.
Joost
Furthermore, on this album Ritter calls upon the help of a number of well-known names in the neo-folk scene, such as Ian Read of Fire & Ice, Kim Larsen of Of The Wand & The Moon, B'Eirth of In Gowan Ring, and Uwe Nolte of Orplid. Besides this, a number of lesser known musicians can also be heard on this album, adding, among other things, flutes and various string instruments to the instrumentation of this album.
And indeed: on a musical level this album again contains much of the romantic, melodic sounds we have come to expect from Forseti. The opener "Korn" is already a direct hit: a rather straightforward and, by Forseti's standards, upbeat song with rather catchy melodies and rhythms. It also becomes apparent almost immediately, that an improvement in Ritter's voice has taken place: here he sounds more confident, on-key, and generally stronger than on his earlier material. The second track, "Eismahd", was earlier featured on Sonne Hagal's album Helfahrt: Forseti's version is quite comparable, but has just a little bit fuller sound than the original. Other highlights on this album include "Empfindsamkeit", a rather simple song with especially a lot of emphasis on the vocals, and the melancholic and sad track "Sterne", which Ritter co-wrote with Kim Larsen. The final track, "Das Abendland", has a dreamy and relaxing sound; near the end of that track, a choir can be heard which is reminiscent of the later work of Empyrium. Overall, one could say that near the start of the album, Erde is a bit more active and upbeat, with songs such as "Korn", "Lichterflug", or "Erdennacht", whereas near the end of the album several more quiet and subdued tracks can be found.
Among other reasons due to the variety in melodies and ideas that can be found on it, Erde manages to sound fuller and more mature than Forseti's earlier material. Also improvements regarding the production and vocals and sound add to this impression.
In all likelihood, Erde will not manage to convince the critics of Forseti's music in general, who will argue that it is all just a bit too melodic, accessible, and 'nice'. But whether all of that matters that much, is another issue: after all, on this album, one can hear Andreas Ritter concentrate on the area where both his talents and his passions lie. And on that area, he managed to approach perfection so closely on Erde, that an eclipse review of this album is definitely warranted.
Joost