PYHÄ KUOLEMA: Saavun vaikken kulkisi Release year: 2011/2022Label: Anima Arctica Back in 2021, I gave a somewhat raving and ranting review to Finnish neofolk act Pyhä Kuolema’s third album Uusi panssaroitu Suomi (click here to read). And you know what? … Continue reading Arriving even without moving
V/A: The Songs Of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III Release year: 2022Label: My Proud Mountain/Neurot Recordings OK, let’s get one thing straight right away: Townes Van Zandt was one of the finest songwriters, lyricists, singers and performers ever. If you’re … Continue reading Singing the songs of Townes Van Zandt
IANAI: Sunir Release year: 2022Label: Svart Records Reading the promo text of Sunir, first release by the enigmatic, or at least seemingly enigmatic Ianai, one is baffled by the sheer amount of self-conscious myth and mystery construction going on. I … Continue reading Self-made mysteries of Ianai
VESPER KENNINGS: Songs Of Verdant Bone, Eight Wreathen Hoorahs For Weary Hearts Release year: 2022Label: self-released It’s a couple of years now since I first became acquainted with the Finnish project Vesper Kennings through their two demos. Already on those, … Continue reading Singing of verdant bone
ELK TOOTH: Never Give All The Heart Release year: 2022Label: Steinklang Industries Naysayers sometimes say that all neofolk is the same: simple, repetitive strummed acoustic guitar, understated male vocals, windchimes. Of course, I’ll grant them this much, there is a … Continue reading When to give all the heart?
CARVED IN STONE: Wafts Of Mist & The Forgotten Belief Release year: 2021Label: Schwarzdorn Production A long, long time ago, back when I was working with my first webzine, I received for review a compilation called In Wüsten Lohe by … Continue reading Of mist and a belief carved in stone
PYHÄ KUOLEMA: Uusi panssaroitu Suomi Release year: 2021Label: Anima Arctica Whilst there is neofolk from elsewhere too, in many ways the genre is a very European phenomenon. As a genre, it has always been tied to tradition, history and the … Continue reading A holy death and an armoured Finland
REDEYE CARAVAN: Nostrum Remedium Release year: 2020Label: self-released Music has always been central to western movies. So central, in fact, that most of the “golden ages” of western movies are inseparably linked to a very definite style to the soundtracks. … Continue reading Trail songs for a red-eyed caravan
ULVER: Trolsk Sortmetall 1993-1997 Year: 2014/2019Label: Century Media Records Ulver are certainly one of those artists who should need no introduction to any extreme metal fan. Though their time as a black metal band was limited and yielded only a … Continue reading The bewitching black metal of Ulver
I’ve recently been reading John M. Alexander’s book The Man In Song, which is basically – as the foreword by country singer Larry Gatlin puts it – “yet another Johnny Cash book.” The novel idea in Alexander’s book is to … Continue reading Five essential, overlooked Johnny Cash gems
Only Death Is Real 