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Review: Splinterskin – Wayward Souls (2009)

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:48:39 +0000

artist: Splinterskin
release: Wayward Souls
format: CD
year of release: 2009
label: Cold Spring
duration: 44:49

Ohio-based musician Splinterskin released his debut album on Cold Spring last summer, a full-length piece filled with moody and unnerving dark folk. The many short pieces on this record breathe an atmosphere of forest nights, creaking walls, and spiritual horror that is the lifeblood of that typical dark natural æsthetic that has developed over the past 15 years or so.

The musical base consists of fingerpicked acoustics, sometimes calm, sometimes frantic and quick, with mystical and dark chords that form the melody of this record. Samples of nature sounds and other wayside encounters emphasise the context of the lyrics that deal with various subjects. Foremost are tales of terror and dark folklore: wooden puppets with a life of their own, hidden creatures, old gods. An at times welcome variation is provided by more personal reflections on tracks like “The Skarekrow (October Roads)”, one of the best tracks on the album.

Criticism can certainly be levelled at precisely these æsthetics. You have to be in a certain mood to appreciate these grim tales and the demented storyteller voice of Splinterskin, though that isn’t a problem in itself. Rather, both the musical and lyrical stakes seem to be in atmosphere only, while the underlying substance is rather meagre, a downside that occurs regularly in this area of thematics.

Still, what is there is consistent, moody and expressive, an enjoyable trip through magical autumn woods that will please lovers of dark folk in the vein of bands like the Empyrium of give or take ten years ago, especially with a touch of dark atmosphere added.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Chanting Bells Call Shadows (1:45)
2. Dancing Dead Men (3:42)
3. The Crumbling Cabin (2:06)
4. Something In The Walls (2:56)
5. Moonlight Rain (2:49)
6. The Thing That Wasn’t (2:00)
7. Broken Down Hearse (1:46)
8. Still At The Windowsill (3:33)
9. Hoofbeats (1:40)
10. The Eyes That Hide (3:31)
11. The Skarekrow (October Roads) (3:20)
12. A Horrible Night To Have A Curse (4:15)
13. Black Bird Sorrow Song (0:47)
14. The Man On The Porch (3:13)
15. A Trail Of Trees (2:42)
16. Wayward Souls (3:52)
17. Dancing Dead Men (Reprise) (1:01)

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Review: Rose Rovine e Amanti – Demian (2009)

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:07:14 +0000

artist: Rose Rovine E Amanti
release: Demian
format: CD
year of release: 2009
label: Cold Spring
duration: 42:52

detailed info: discogs.com

Recorded in Rome in 2008, Demian is the second full length album by Rose Rovine E Amanti (mastermind: Damiano Mercuri) on Cold Spring Records. The album collects ten tracks of hot-blooded neofolk with a flair that is the trademark of many Mediterranean artists working in this field.

The songs on this album alternate between Italian and English, balladry and more powerful rock-influenced tracks, striking an enjoyable balance between calm pieces and more bracing work. There is a strong influence of Southern European folk and pop sensibility, which places the sound somewhere on a continuum between Sangre Cavallum and Spiritual Front. The more rocking tracks tend to stand out, because they offer a gripping appeal that is not present as much in the more generic slow songs. The title track is easily the best, fusing heavy martial industrial percussion with powerful acoustic guitar chords and a catchy song structure, and a swirling violin solo by Giuseppe Lorenzoni, reminiscent of Matt Howden‘s style. Equally strong is the bass-driven “From Desperation to Victory”, highlighting the martial theme that is still at the forefront of much contemporary neofolk.

And, like many of his contemporaries, Mercuri isn’t truly pushing the (sub)genre any further. The themes, the style, the sound, the atmosphere, we’ve heard it before in quite some places. In this sense, Rose Rovine E Amanti is a natural player in the process that practically all specialised styles of music succumb to: stagnation. That doesn’t mean Demian isn’t a good or enjoyable album, because it certainly is, if you’re in the right mood. It does mean that this album is niche music and recommended mostly to people operating within that niche.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1 Il Gatto Osserva (2:30)
2 Rose Rovine E Amanti (5:17)
3 Demian (3:53)
4 Il Grande Tradimento (5:04)
5 From Desperation To Victory (2:50)
6 The End Of This World ( 5:00)
7 Paura Del Demonio (5:23)
8 Mille Serpi (3:47)
9 Noi Ritorneremo (3:39)
10 Ave Maria (5:34)

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Review: Boyd Rice & Z’EV (2008)

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:26 +0000

artist: Boyd Rice & Z’EV
release: Boyd Rice & Z’EV
format: 12″
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 24:17

detailed info: discogs.com.

When two industrial legends like Z’ev and Boyd Rice get together, expectations tend to be high, and mine were no exception when I saw this record in the shop. The presentation was no joke either: Cold Spring went stylish for this ltd. x 1000 release, a marbled clear red 12″ in a black sleeve with artworks by the musicians themselves.

It’s too bad then that the music was a tad disappointing. In my naivité I expected Boyd delivering his usual spoken messages over an industrial percussive soundtrack, or something of the like, but this EP is filled with, well, noise. Not that there’s anything wrong with noise, mind you. As we know, these are two men who know how to dish out earsplitting sounds, and the soundscapes on this record are – if not exactly pain-inducing – quite abrasive. One can vaguely hear the metal percussive elements, but most of it is warped and distorted to a degree that sound sources are hard to discern. It’ll be a tough job to pick out Rice’s supposed vocal contributions from this swirling mass of sound, for example. As a whole, the music sounds similar to Z’ev‘s other recent offerings, like Sum Things, though a bit more intense perhaps.

Despite being a decent noise record, I found this collaboration to be a bit underwhelming, at least in terms of musical content. The presentation is pristine, however, so this item will be of interest mainly to true collectors of these artists and/or vinyl fanatics.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

45 rpm Side:
A. Z’EV & Boyd Rice – Untitled (8:09)

33 rpm Side:
B. Boyd Rice & Z’EV – Untitled (16:08)

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Review: Seelenlicht – Gods and Devils (2008)

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:09 +0000

artist: Seelenlicht
release: Gods and Devils
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 55:15

detailed info: discogs.com.

Seelenlicht is a collaboration between Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben) and Troy Southgate (HERR). Gods and Devils is their first album, released by Cold Spring, where lush neoclassical compositions – with the odd neofolk and martial industrial touch – are combined with extensive spoken word and vocal parts where Southgate presents his views on various cultural phenomena.

Let’s start with the musical part, which is simply quite good. The neoclassical compositions are layered, varied, and very smoothly executed, and for once I don’t really mind the fact that most of it is generated electronically. Would that synthesised instruments always sounded this good! It is clear however that all these pieces are meant to function as accompanying music to songs and text, and that is how they are best taken in: in the background while paying attention to the texts.

As said, the lyrics are a mixture of song and prose, and the subject matter also varies from song to song. On the one hand, we have a combination of mythical and poetic themes, of which “Herne the Hunter” and the two parts of “Idle Thoughts on the Janus Shore” are my favoruites. The other part of the lyrics has a more concrete reference to cultural and historical subject matter. Of these, the witty “Valhalla” – accompanied by an excellent martial music theme – is my favourite. In this track, Southgate presents a list describing some of his (I presume) cultural heroes in an unorthodox way. Other pieces, like “The Modern Saxons” and “Diary of Desolation” seem more serious though, and contain a scathing criticism of the superficialities of our modern consumer culture and 9 to 5 drudgery work ethic. On the one hand, I share many aspects of the views Southgate presents here, but I don’t feel that this music is the most appropriate vessel for these cultural essays. In themselves, the these texts are legitimate pieces of criticism, but they are hardly original, in particular in this music scene. I can see that this might not bother many other listeners, but for me, it drags down the listening experience at times, when a more abstract or mystical theme might have had a different effect. The same goes for the murder ballad “Love’s Final Hour”, which for some reason seems in dubious taste to me, while I normally love most traditional murder ballads.

Taken as a whole, therefore, this is an album that contains parts that succeed in gripping me with rich compositions and inspiring texts, but also those that lack in originality or finnesse. The end result is then an above average release that will be practically essential for fans of related projects like HERR and Kammer Sieben, and interesting if you like neoclassical music in general. Otherwise, I’m not sure if Gods and Devils will do it for you.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Prelude (4:14)
2. Demian (3:38)
3. Diary Of Desolation (Part One) (3:56)
4. She Walks In Beauty (3:55)
5. Flamme (3:52)
6. Diary Of Desolation (Part Two) (3:08)
7. Herne The Hunter (4:59)
8. Valhalla (3:33)
9. Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore (Part One) (3:45)
10. Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore (Part Two) (2:49)
11. The Modern Saxons (4:31)
12. Love’s Final Hour (4:40)
13. Diary Of Desolation (Part Three) (4:32)
14. Seelenlicht (3:43)

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Review: Sagittarius – Songs from the Ivory Tower (2008)

Oscar — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:00:49 +0000

artist: Sagittarius
release: Songs from the Ivory Tower
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 46:44

detailed info: discogs.com.

Sagittarius is a German project headed by Cornelius Waldner, and it’s been around for a couple of years, with a few limited releases. This album, however, is their first on a bigger label like Cold Spring. What we get is about three quarters of an hour worth of calm neoclassical and neofolk, with piano as the dominant instrument. Most of the tracks are based on German poems, but with a bit of English and instrumental work thrown in as well.

The poems cover a range of topics, ranging from traditional romanticism, melancholia, and modern cultural criticism. This unites different areas from conceptual spectrum of neofolk, which is nice to see. The album certainly isn’t hung up on a single theme. The variation in terms of music isn’t very great, being based as said on piano, with the occasional addition of flute, cello, and guitar, sometimes provided by guest artists like Marcel P. (Allerseelen) and Damiano Mercuri (Rose Rovine E Amanti). However, in this case I don’t think it is a negative point for the album, which has a focused flow, somewhat comparable to that of Current 93‘s Soft Black Stars. The vocals are also varied, with guest singers like Troy Southgate (HERR) and Herr Twiggs (Kammer Sieben). I must say the performance of each of these guest performances varies in quality, but it never detracts from the overall atmosphere of the album.

I can be fairly brief about this one: it’s simply a very decent album. Certainly recommended for neofolk lovers, especially if you enjoy a calmer and perhaps distinctly German style, comparable to Orplid or Forseti. However, if you’re not particularly fond of neofolk or neoclassical, this album most likely won’t change your mind.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Nihil Arisen (3:43)
2. Du Stehst Am Alten Gartentor Und Schweigst (3:48)
3. Der Sommer, Den Die Erntezeit Gekrönt (2:27)
4. Die Nächtlichen Geschicke (1:39)
5. An Des Meeres Strand (4:01)
6. Trunkene Flut (3:14)
7. Das Lied (2:47)
8. Der Gute Kamerad (2:24)
9. Menuet Von Johann Krieger (Für H.E.R.R.) (1:24)
10. Cupio Dissolvi (4:48)
11. Sternwandel V (2:15)
12. Nova Apocalypsis (4:04)
13. Europa Calling (3:51)
14. In Signo Solis (3:33)

15. The Song (2:46)

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Review: The Triple Tree – Ghosts (2008)

admin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:00:05 +0000

artist: The Triple Tree
release: Ghosts
format: CD
year of release: 2008
label: Cold Spring
duration: 58:01

detailed info: discogs.com

Ghosts is one of those albums I had been waiting for for quite some time. Tony Wakeford started this project with the MP3-only album The Turning Wheel on Woven Wheat Whispers in 2006, but has since been joined by Andrew King to take on this project together. Along with an impressive array of guest artists (Kris Force, Reeve Malka, and John Murphy, to name a few), these two men have tackeled the superb and prolific ghost stories of M.R. James on this interesting and original album.

Those who think that Wakeford has been stuck in playing straight-forward neofolk with the classic Sol Invictus should look again, for the good man has shown a fine taste for musical experiments in the past years. 2007 saw the release of his collaboration with Nick Grey and Kris Force, the beautiful and subtle Grey Force Wakeford album, and this latest one by The Triple Tree is no exception. Ghosts is made up of original compositions that incorporate elements from the neofolk background, surely, but also ambient, neo-classical, Wakeford’s own funky bass, and of course traditional song as championed by Andrew King. The result as a whole is quite diverse, yet very coherent in its atmosphere.

That is, of course, the aim of a concept album like this. Just as James’ stories display different flavours, their overall tone is always one of dread and mystery: a restrained counterpart to the splatter horror of today. Ghosts are of course the real protagonists in these tales of forbidden esoteric magic, tragedy, and horrid crime. So it is with the music on this album, which is at different times epic, subtle, mystic, unnerving, catchy, but always convincing.

This album is quite different from its predecessor, which focused more on dreamy ambient repetition, and is closer to the aforementioned Grey Force Wakeford in style, though with a distinctly more horrid atmosphere, and more folk influences in the music itself. Another link is of course English Heretic, who indeed are no strangers to the world of M.R. James. Their interpretation of “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You” off the 2006 album Wyrd Tales was no less brilliant. Little surprise that The Triple Tree make grateful use of EH field recordings. Finally, Andrew King‘s collaboration with Les Sentiers Conflictuels comes to mind, which features a similar combination of spoken word and horror atmosphere.

There’s no use trying to describe this album any further. The key elements are sophisticated dark experimental music with a rewarding lyrical and narrative base in the classic ghost stories by James. It’s certainly not an accessible whole if you are expecting a certain established musical style, but I can’t do otherwise than recommend this album to anyone who feels up to the task of digesting this work of experimental musical horror.

Reviewed by O.S.

Tracklist:

1. Ghosts – Prologue (4:01)
2. Three Crowns (5:36)
3. The Stalls (3:45)
4. The Mezzotint (4:11)
5. Mrs. Mothersole (4:02)
6. The Ash Tree (4:40)
7. The Malice of Inanimate Objects (5:05)
8. There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard (1:48)
9. Lost Hearts (5:25)
10. Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You (5:10)
11. Black Crusade (4:54)
12. Casting the Runes (5:34)
13. The Ghosts of England (3:50)

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Eclipse Review: Werkraum – Unsere Feuer Brennen! (2004)

admin — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:00:55 +0000

Original Cover

2009 Re-release

artist: Werkraum
release: Unsere Feuer Brennen!
format: CD
year of release: 2004, 2009
label: Cold Spring Records
duration: 50:02

detailed info: discogs.com

I didn’t care much about this so called “neofolk” music that flushed like a wave over Europe some years ago. I had my favorite albums with Death in June, Sol Invictus and Current 93. The new bands that started to pop up were nothing but pale copies for me. I was totally convinced that the experimental folk era had reached its top long ago. And then I heard Werkraum. I can’t really recall how I first was introduced to them or what it was that made me buy their debut album Unsere Feuer Brennen!. It could have been the album’s cover art that first took my attention. I still consider this to be one of the most beautiful album covers out there; pretty simple without any text – it truly puts the lion killing horsemen in the centre. But this album is so much more then just a nice cover. It contains 11 of the most true and strong songs that had been released for a very long time.

Werkraum‘s main brain is in the head of the Berliner Axel Frank. Obviously a very competent musician. He is also backed up by some friends from various bands. Jason Thompkins from Harvest Rain and Nick Nedzinsky of Lady Morphia fame. There is also a woman in the collective named Antje Hoppenrath. I’ll return to these musicians later on.

“Nocturne” is the first song out, a very moody neoclassical song with a deep male speech underneath. It’s the only track with English lyrics and the lyrics are actually adapted from a poem by John Dowland, but who reads them here is not told.
It’s a very nice way to open this album. Bombastic and pompous intros can often be rather boring. If they aren’t badly composed they are usually far too long to be enjoyable, but “Nocturne” does not suffer from those symptoms at all.
After the intro fades out, “Die letzte Jagd” starts, a track written after all unwritten rules of neofolk songwriting together with Lady Morphia. Simple guitar playing, snare and tom drums are joined by a trumpet in between the verses. But what makes “Die letzte Jagd” such a remarkable song is both the fact that it has a very catchy melody and Axel Frank who shows that he’s not only a great musician but also a splendid singer.

Next up is “Chanson de la plus haute tour”. It’s a much calmer song, somewhere between psychedelic and medieval acoustic folk. Antje sings a poem by Arthur Rimbaud translated into German and this woman has to be properly schooled in singing… What a voice! And WHAT a song! I can’t get enough of this. I can play it on repeat for hours and every time the chorus comes, where Antje and Axel sing in duet, I get pleasant shivers down my spine.
For the sake of balance, track four (“Einsamer nie”) is quite unremarkable. Swirling organs and twisted voices in a futuristic neoclassical way. The fifth track (“Legion”) on the other side is another masterpiece of neofolk, a bit slower than “Die letzte Jagd” but just as good if not even better. The disturbed electric guitar in the background fascinates me. And so does, once again, Alex’s singing.

Now, after five more or less perfect songs, you might believe that the album loses strength. If you do, you are so wrong. “Steh Auf Nordwind” is an instant hit. From the bells in the beginning to the fade out in the end. A perfect neofolk song! If the other songs were catchy I don’t know how to explain this one. It relies more on the electric guitar than the acoustic, which was a completely new, but not in any way unpleasant way of playing neofolk for me. You might need some time to melt what you just heard and to do that during “Dignitas Dei” – another of those experimental ‘in between’ songs without any proper structure and lots of futuristic sounds, is a good idea. Even though this one is better than “Einsamer nie” it still is better seen as a filling between the songs than an actual song of it own. When the previous song is melted you can start preparing yourself for the next attack. “Ewigland” is a collaboration song with Harvest Rain and if you have heard Harvest Rain before you know what to expect. Very desolate. Makes you feel strange in some way. Jason Thompkins’ characteristic guitar playing is backed up by Alex’s voice and snare drumming and all this creates another song to remember.
Yet another neofolk song follows, “Heilige Krieg”, “Hohezeit” – moving more towards the medieval sound with Antje behind the microphone again, and finally the outro “Civitas Dei” with a proud martial feeling to begin with and a spacey drone at the end.

So why does Unsere Feuer Brennen! deserve an Eclipse rating? Simple. It’s a masterpiece album. It stays very personal even though the guest artists have left their own traces.
A formidable debut release from a band that can take what turn they want and still have my full support and respect. This is the album that made me realize that neofolk is more than the World Serpent oldies and with that opened my eyes to a completely new world of the new wave of dark folk music.
50 minutes and three different styles of the best neofolk sounds in one album makes this a must have for everyone. Thank you.

Reviewed by CME

Tracklist:

1. Nocturne (2:17)
2. Die Letzte Jagd (4:13)
3. Chanson De La Plus Haute Tour (4:04)
4. Einsamer Nie (4:23)
5. Legion (5:50)
6. Steh Auf, Nordwind! (3:33)
7. Dignitas Dei (5:34)
8. Ewigland (4:04)
9. Heilige Krieg (4:46)
10. Hohezeit (3:32)
11. Civitas Dei (7:46)

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