Empyrium - Songs of Moors & Misty Fields + Weiland

Songs of Moors & Misty Fields

1997; 6 tracks

Why can't we be stars?


Weiland

2002; 12 tracks

Download.

This is a very personal band to me, mostly because of how long I listened solely to them and how they were one of the very first bands to actually inspire me. Empyrium was a German neo-folk/doom metal band founded by Markus Stock (Ulf Theodor Schwadorf) active through the mid to later 90s and early 2000s. More recently they released a new track on the 2010 Prophecy Productions compilation Whom the Moon a Nightsong Sings.

These two albums, Songs of Moors & Misty Fields and Weiland, are, in my opinion, the band's most wondrous releases. I do enjoy the rest of their discography, which includes four other full-lengths, one of which was self-released, and an EP, but I have listened to these two countless times in the depths of night, the depths of winter, when I was just coming to know how amazing music can be. Songs of Moors & Misty Fields is, quite simply, a masterpiece of doom metal and neo-folk. Weiland, also, is pure acoustic neo-folk and seems to have been recorded within the heart of a magical forest. I just wanted to post these as the year is coming to an end, but my love for this band will never fade.

Tenhi - Complete Discography

Hallavedet EP



1998; 2 tracks

01 Hallavedet (The Glacial Waters)
02 Hiljaiseksi Lampi Jää (The Pond Stays Still)


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Kauan



1999; 10 tracks

01 Näkin Laulu (The Chant Of Näkki)
02 Huomen (Morrow)
03 Revontulet (Northern Lights)
04 Hallavedet (The Glacial Waters)
05 Etäisyyksien Taa (Beyond Distances)
06 Lauluni Sinulle (Mavourneen's Song)
07 Taival (Straying)
08 Suoto (Drift)
09 Kielo
10 Niin Auer Hiljaa Vie


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Airut:Ciwi



2001; 3 tracks

01 Tuulennostatus
02 Kielo
03 Ciwenkierto


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Väre



2002; 12 tracks

01 Vastakaiun
02 Jäljen
03 Vilja
04 Keväin
05 Yötä
06 Suortuva
07 Tenhi
08 Sutoi
09 Katve
10 Varis Eloinen
11 Kuolleesi Jokeen


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Maaäet



2006; 12 tracks

01 Varpuspäivä (Sparrow-Day)
02 Kuoppa (Depth)
03 Kuulut Kesiin (July's Wreath)
04 Salain (Shapeless)
05 Viimeiseen (Through Bloom-Blades)
06 Vähäinen Violetissa (Lithe In Lilac)
07 Sarastuskävijä (Frail)
08 Maa Syttyy (Orphan Joy)
09 Tuulenkaato (Falter)
10 Aatos (Reverie)
11 Uuvu Oravan Luu (Ease Squirrel Bone)
12 Rannalta Haettu (From The Shore)


Download.

I'm actually quite upset with myself that I haven't posted any Tenhi before now. I mean, seriously? They are one of the greatest ensembles of musicians this world has ever brought forth, and every single one of you needs to immediately drop what you're doing and listen to them. That is an order.

Tenhi is a Finnish group that plays neofolk and traditional folk music of a very dark and atmospheric kind. Exquisitely beautiful melodies and vocals are only two of the varied aspects that make Tenhi better than others of this style. From a few sources now I have seen that "Tenhi" means "village elder" in the Finnish language, so I am inclined to believe that is true. All throughout their music, ritual chants accompany extremely nature-based landscapes. There is a definite traditional aspect to the Tenhi's music, so much so that one wonders whether these are the very sounds of a Finnish village centuries and centuries ago. One can dream.

If you don't know where to start, my personal favorites are Kauan and Maaäet, respectively. I also really, really love the final track of Väre.

Cult of Youth - Cult of Youth

2011; 11 tracks

"With a sound that is simultaneously murky and pastoral, Cult of Youth is neo-folk as seen through a post-punk lens, combining effervescent, acoustic arrangements with a dark and moody atmosphere to create a sound that's natural and ominous. Acoustic guitars play off of the twang of the electric bass, almost swapping roles with the bass cutting through the layers of guitar and violin to sometimes lead the rhythm rather than support it. The whole package is tied together neatly by singer/guitarist vocalist Sean Ragon, whose dramatic baritone splits the difference between Ian Curtis' somberness and Nick Cave's flair for the theatrical. This combination works wonderfully on songs like 'The Dead Sea,' adding a sense of foreboding to the maritime thump of the backing track. As the band's first album as a fully realized band rather than a bedroom recording project, Cult of Youth is a terrific entry into the neo-folk landscape, keeping many of the traditional elements of Irish and British folk while expanding the sound into deeper, darker waters."

This is an incredibly lovely album, smacking of Death in June and even The Chameleons (but much more folky, of course).

Download.

Loitsu - Suohengen Sija

2006; 4 tracks

Loitsu (The Spell) is a Finnish neofolk project started by R. Kurkijávri. The project is highly nature-based, the music very intimate with earth. I'm not exactly sure if Suohengen Sija is an album or demo, but it contains the first three tracks of the demo Aamujen Auer and a bonus track.

"Loitsu is a painting, where shamanistic lonely grim and shimmering brightness of the northern lights are combined with the ecstasy of sounds that acoustic instruments are creating. Mysticism of nature and it's wonderful ambiences play together with the beauty of guitars, piano, violin, flute and depths of a shaman drum."

Download.

Váli - Forlatt

2004; 10 tracks

This was one of my first ever purely neofolk albums, excluding some early Ulver. It really is a beautiful example of that genre which produces such lyrical and evocative music, and is usually very intimate.

Váli is a Norwegian one-man neofolk project. The band's first album, Forlatt, features mostly solo acoustic guitar pieces, but occasionally some other instruments make their way into the soundscape. Try this if you haven't heard much neofolk before. This is a very different kind of neofolk than, say, that of Rome, as it is much more nature-based.

Download.

Estatic Fear - A Sombre Dance

1999; 10 tracks

This is one of the most amazing doom metal albums you will ever hear. Don't miss out.

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Agalloch - The White EP

2008; 7 tracks



There is no better way to start the frigid month of December than with Agalloch. This EP, a partner to The Grey, blends the band's signature darkness with a slightly new element - neofolk. It is a masterfully made album, so beautiful and so cold.



"What begins with a sampling of the 1973 film The Wicker Man then spreads into an ethereal neofolk fable concerning religion, culture, children, morality, hindsight, and foresight."



The White further instills in the listener Agalloch's eternal theme... God is dead.



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Purchase

Dornenreich - Hexenwind

2005; 5 tracks

I consider this, Dornenreich's 4th full-length album, the band's atmopheric/neofolk masterpiece. It is not "folk" in the way In Luft Geritzt is, nor is it black metal in the sense that Nicht um zu Sterben most definitely is. Dornenreich's sound has transformed and built upon itself yet again in a very exquisite manner, creating a breathlessly atmospheric album that is not confined to any one genre of music.

From the very beginning of the first track, "Von der Quelle," a mood is set for the entire 5 tracks that very truly adheres to the magnificent cover artwork. Interchanging neofolk acoustic melodies and artful black metal riffs create a landscape of misty Austrian hillsides and the foggy heights of mountains, not to mention the piercing voice of Eviga hissing and whispering and screaming and chanting all through the haze. Each track explores further the extent of this band's talent, which truly knows no bounds. The closer, "Zu Träumen Wecke Sich, Wer Kann," is probably my favorite Dornenreich track. It is one of their most beautiful, surely, but the atmosphere is so incredibly dark and so bitterly ethereal that it has made me cry (lame? maybe).

In Eviga's own words, "music is proof for the invisible world, the spiritual world. Air is invisible, but music can move the individual on a very sensual level. It’s also very important because the arrangement of time within music is really the language and being of the human soul which is travelling within music, and artistic expression in general, but especially within music" (source here). Despite being a fantastic band, Dornenreich proves itself time and time again that they really -get- music and understand the various effects it has on the listeners, creators, and those just passing through... This intimacy with the instruments and pure notes in the air is a very appealing aspect of Dornenreich's music, one that touches me deeply. Eviga's voice is wonderfully dynamic and intense, as if he is the only man in the world, singing from the depths of his soul.

To truly experience Dornenreich, I implore you to give Hexenwind a listen.

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Sol Invictus - Lex Talionis

 1993; 12 tracks  This might bene of the coldest, darkest, and most piercing apocalyptic folk/indutrial albums I've ever heard. The intro to "Black Easter" (indeed, the entire track) is sheer, visceral brilliance.  Download
Purchase

Michael Cashmore - The Snow Abides EP

2007; 5 tracks

A tender and beautiful apocalyptic folk album that is an even softer side of the main contributor to Nature & Organisation, Michael Cashmore.

There's a fragile beauty to the work of Michael Cashmore on The Snow Abides borne from delicate piano scores, complemented by lush arrangements from a small ensemble of players, and the heart-stopping voice of Antony Hegarty. This evocative, yet short, EP manages to communicate a profound spiritual longing through Cashmore's disarming, gentle melodies.


I look at my hands and count the sun making another scar across my sky

Nature and Organisation - Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude

1994; 11 tracks

Beauty Reaps the Blood of Solitude is most likely my new favorite album of all time. Every time I listen to it I am increasingly amazed at how EVERY SINGLE thing about this is album is so godverdomme perfect.

Nature and Organisation is Michael Cashmore, a long time member of Current 93, as well as a very nice array of other artists including David Tibet of Current 93 (of course), Douglas Pierce of Death in June, and Rose McDowall of Strawberry Switchblade (also of The Spell and Rosa Mundi). So yeah, this album from the very start was predestined to be amazing. My favorite tracks are "Tears for an Eastern Girl" and "Bonewhiteglory." The lyrics are also a huge part of why this album has become a favorite of mine - they are similar to Current 93's in that they are a continuous flow of mental pictures, sensations, images, visions... and they can totally sweep you away if you listen carefully. The music is also achingly beautiful and tender - a neo/apocalyptic folk masterpiece.

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Altorių Šešėliai - Margi sakalai

2007; 10 tracks

I've already done a post for Altorių Šešėliai's demo because I thought it was his best, but I feel like this album deserves some serious respect as well. A few tracks here remind me of Empyrium, but Altorių Šešėliai's are quite a bit less gloomy/doomy. There are plenty of soft neofolk sections, such as on "Gelsvas mėnuo III" - flute, acoustic guitar, running brooks - but the atmospheric black metal sections are what make me love this album.

From Metal-Archives:

"Avinpapis’ true strength lies in his skills of composition. While the songs presented on Margi Sakalai are all quite simple, their draw lies in the subtle changes in mood which he is able to create through slight tempo, riff or drumming changes, each one of which adds another layer onto the music and the atmosphere. Avinpapis’ vocals also add quite a lot to the feeling of the album, always maintaining a low-fi growl which seems to just float on the music and become part of the atmosphere, rather than ever being intrusive or overpowering which wouldn’t work in such a mellow album.

This is the perfect album for going to sleep to. It is just a beautiful, laid-back 45 minutes of music, which is able to transport you to rain-soaked fields and forests, thick scrubland, misty moorlands or wherever you let it if you’re feeling so inclined to go on transcendental nature journeys."

Download.