Year: 2025
Label: Heidenvolk

Though they have slowed down their pace, German Darkwood remain a staple of contemporary neofolk. With their distinctive, and distinctively German sound, the group consisting of Henryk Vögel and supporting musicians, play no small part in keeping the niché genre alive in this day and age.

Their newest album, Verlorene Welt, does not see the band explore new territory. On the contrary, everything about this album screams out “tradition!” From the cover art, which reminds one of 2003’s Weltenwende, onward to the music, Verlorene Welt is Darkwood playing it safe.

In a sense, this is a step back from the ever so slight experimental elements of 2020’s Twilight Garden. It saw Darkwood incorporate stronger, more prominent percussive elements to the music, as well as synths and even electric guitar to a greater extent than before. The result was, in a sense, Darkwood’s most accessible and even “poppiest” album – whilst still remaining Darkwood through and through.

Verlorene Welt sheds some of that excess, and sees Vögel and his companions return to the basics. This means the acoustic guitar dominates the soundscape, with especially the violin and violoncello featuring as prominent supporting instruments. Album opener Heart Of France is an entirely classic Darkwood track: tender acoustic guitar, Vögel’s wistful vocals, complemented by subtle keys and cello.

There are considerable amounts of percussive elements and electric bass on the album, so Verlorene Welt is by no means completely a “back to the basics” kind of album. Instead, musically it strikes some kind of balance between the most classic (and, I daresay, beloved) sound of the band, and the newer winds which blew on Twilight Garden.

But on the level of atmosphere and mood, Verlorene Welt is entirely free of the almost upbeat sentiments Twilight Garden hit on occasion. This is a thoroughly melancholic, autumnal and sorrowful album; one of lingering sadness, lamentations of distant loss. And I suppose it is more this than the purely musical guise of the album, which makes me say Verlorene Welt is a return to a more typical Darkwood sound.

To be perfectly candid, for the first few listens I was quite disappointed with Verlorene Welt. It felt like a lesser eidolon of earlier works. Again, perhaps most of all because it has more spiritual/emotional kinship with earlier works than with its immediate predecessor. But after a few spins, I found myself nodding my head agreeably to the album.

Yeah, it doesn’t break new ground. And yeah, it won’t rise to become the apex of Darkwood’s career. But it is a very solid, very competent and very enjoyable piece of archetypal neofolk. Nowhere is this more prominent than on Wanderlied, which begins with an acoustic section reminiscent of newer Death In June, only to evolve into a track so uniquely and distinctively Darkwood I’m tempted to call it emblematic.

Ultimately, Verlorene Welt is another Darkwood album to add to the pile. Make what you will of that: some will instantly know they don’t need it in their collection; others will equally quickly know they do. You know better than me which group you belong to. After some consideration, I find myself in the latter group. More of the same, perhaps, but when that “same” is some of the best neofolk around… you won’t see me complain!

Visit Darkwood on their official website, Bandcamp, Facebook or Instagram