This new German neo-folk band made a good impression on me with their 10″ Raunen, released on the Eis & Licht label, which is almost a guarantee for quality (see vinyl reviews). Of that record two great tracks are present here: ‘Rain’ and ‘We stand’, though for some reason they seemed to sound better on the record. Although Dies Natalis is known to play folk songs, they also use quite a lot of synthesizers on this record, like on the instrumental openings track. On a few songs darkwave influences can be spotted.
This record sounds a bit less powerful than their concerts, partly because the production could be better, partly because this record contains a varied range of styles, which I don’t mean to be a criticism. The record sounds spontaneous, as if it was recorded rather quickly, without polishing too much in the studio, which gives it a certain charm. A few highlights, apart from the above mentioned songs: ‘Der Stein weit im Korn’ a beautiful slow song with an eruption at the end, ‘Thunderdoor’, a heroic folksong, and ‘The Drummer walks in Storm’, which contains martial drumming, a nice synthesizer layer, and powerful singing with two voices.
