Lately I began to fear for Allerseelen-fatigue. In recent times I saw various concerts of the Austrian project and heard many new (re)releases. Not that I have any complaints about the average quality that Gerhard produces, it’s more the quantity which I find difficult to keep up with. This new release looked promising though. Not only is it a collaboration with Sangre Cavallum whose two albums I enjoyed, the vinological theme should be fruitful as well.

Barco do Vinho (Portuguese for ‘wine boat’) contains eight exclusive songs, four by each band. The first half is offered by Allerseelen. ‘Ó Coração Meu’ has a mysterious atmosphere, but arouses my thirst just a little. Things really start for me with ‘Zauberblut’, with some typical Allerseelen loops of acoustic sounds and classical melodies, combined with masculine half-spoken vocals. The wine starts to raise the spirits, because ‘Zu später Stunde’ has a forceful beat which invites you to a little dance. The uptempo mood is continued with ‘In vino veritas’, which has a comparable rhythm as the classic ‘Gletscherlicht’.

Then it’s time for the northern Portuguese band Sangre Cavallum to join with their folkloristic sounds. Like before they build up their songs with a wide variety of instruments, including many traditional acoustic ones. The deep vocals fit well to the music.’Wein, Blut der Erde’ is a melancholic drinking song, after which ‘Cântaros d’Euforia’ changes the mood again, an interesting track with a strange psychedelic feel to it. ‘Rabello’ tries to sober the drinking crowd again, with a slow hymnlike song with a nice folk/rock ending. Then it’s time for a final drinking round with the addictive ‘Weinwalzer’, which makes the crowd finish the night in a last unsteady collective dance.

It’s a good thing that Allerseelen and Sangre Cavallum decided to elaborate this concept from a planned single to a full album. Barco do Vinho is a release with a rich variety of styles and moods, that is a perfect companion for an evening with friends and tasteful (Portuguese) wine.

Author: HD. Published on: Thursday, December 7th, 2006.
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