Reviews: medieval

On their previous album, … verdammt in alle Ewigkeit, Cornix Maledictum sounded like a metal band from a time before the electric amplified guitar was invented. This new album sounds somewhat more moderate, which means the music is a little less loud and shows some more diversity. Next to attention for songs in different tempos, there is also more variety in the musical spectrum…

The previous (and first) cd by Faun, titled Zaubersprüche, was a quiet and atmospheric medieval and pagan folk album. How different does Licht, the new cd by this German group, sounds. After a short intro the listener (and dancer) is treated with ‘Andro’, a circle dance from Brittany. Faun makes a modern version of this old dance by adding dance beats to the bagpipes…

One of the most characteristic elements in the music of Qntal is their attention for atmosphere and nice moods. So, it was quite a shock when I first listened to this single. Both the title track and ‘Stella Splendens’ (both non album tracks) are very much dancefloor orientated with loud dominant beats. Due to this most other sounds only have a small role to play in the background…

With “Qumran” GOR has already delivered its fourth album on Prikosnovenie. GOR is the project of Francesco Banchini, who also works as a percussionist for Ataraxia. Banchini plays multiple instruments and combines elements from various times and cultures. He fuses medieval, arabic and classical elements to a colourful unity. On “Qumran” he especially takes us to the Middle East…

Another medieval group? Yes, but not just any. It seems there is still a lot of music to explore in this genre. After the beautiful album by Faun and the bagpipe techno of Furunkulus there comes this album by Cornix Maledictum. Just as with Furunkulus, the sound is dominated by percussion and bagpipes, only the music sounds louder, wilder and darker…

In Germany there are uncountable medieval music ensembles. These Spielleute play at medieval fairs and all kind of festivities in villages and cities. Furunkulus (formerly Furunkulus Bladilo) is one of those groups. Their music is characterized by powerful percussion play. The group makes use of all sorts of percussion instruments…

Medieval music is getting good feedback nowadays. Expecially cross-over acts seem to be doing well, but mostly young people are enjoying this mind of music. The Danish one-man project Mauerbrecher makes medieval music with modern means. This is a very limited cd that collects material from two previous cd’s and some new material…

Stille Volk is a French (neo)folk and medieval group. Their music is for the greatest part based on the Keltic tradition, but the group is not afraid to use other (traditional) influences in their music. Maudat is their fourth cd and like the previous records a concept album…

Here we have the fourth album of Australian singer Louisa John-Krol. According to the press sheet, she is inspired by aboriginal culture but also by her celtic origins. She seems to be in touch with the European music scene. Not only is her album released on a French label, she is also supported by members of bands like Ataraxia and Stoa…

Somewhere on a small Sicilian island there exists a café where people of all sorts come to sit, eat, drink, rest, listen and play music… When they are gathered there the open environment encourages them to tell their stories…

Folk and medieval music is gaining popularity again since some time. Amongst others hardrock and metal fans are showing interest in this music, probably due to the fact that bands like In Extremo, Subway to Sally and Tanzwut make use of folk influences in their rockmusic. Both some labels and fans are looking for more traditional forms of folk and medieval music as a reaction to this…

Matt Howden has left Sol Invictus to concentrate more on his solo work, in particular his project Sieben. Luckily this does not mean that he won’t work with Tony Wakeford anymore. As Howden/Wakeford they continue to collaborate. This is their second album as a duo. The first Howden/Wakeford album “Three nine” had a numerological theme, in particular the third and ninth rune…

“O Quam Tristis…” is a French group that plays medieval music with strong electronic influences. Their albums are released by the Italian Palace of Worms label. Le Rituel Sacré is their second cd and quite a step forward for the band. In comparison with the first album Funérailles des Petits Enfants there are a lot of changes for the better…

Shine Dión is a folky duo from Norway that releases their music on their own label. On their records they get assistance from guest musicians on instruments like flutes, mandolin and hardanger fiddle. The name of the group means ‘shining moon’ and refers to the pagan goddess of the moon Diona. Their lyrics and music are inspired by the Norwegian landscape, fairy tales and mysticism…

Faun is an ensemble from Germany that plays medieval and pagan folk music. Most pieces on Zaubersprüche are written by themselves, so are not traditional. The medieval feeling is nonetheless evident through the use of hurdy-gurdy, bagpipe, flutes, percussion and nyckelharp. There are, mostly in Germany, many groups that play music inspired by The Middle Ages…

Garmarna is, together with Hedningarna, the best known folk act from Scandinavia. Through the years the group developed their distinctive own sound, from traditional to experimental and electronic. This cd is a re-issue of their first EP that was until now only released in Sweden. Next to the first EP there are some additional demos on the disc that are even from an earlier date…

Like the title explains this is the third release by Dutch Neo-Celt group Omnia. Next to a music project Omnia is also a performance group that brings their music to life with their shows. This cd is a 4 track EP on which the group shows both her rhythmic and her melodic side. ‘Dúlamán’ is a percussion song that besides drums and vocals only has a few sounds in the background…

It was some time ago that I listened to The Soil Bleeds Black, the neo-medievalists from the USA, who are active for a decade now. I only know the first two albums from the project around the Riddick brothers, which could not entirely convince me through their highly synthetic character and a bit exaggerated amount of fantasy samples…

This 7” single by Les Joyaux de la Princesse features two songs which in my opinion belong to the best work released by this project. The sound is rather archaic but still very melodic, which creates a nostalgic mood. On Wolf Rune I Freya Aswynn’s voice is heard, chanting an invocation to the gods over the beautiful melodies which are the foundation of this song…

About 10 years ago Qntal released two albums (entitled I an II) that were very well received among the wave/gothic scene. Band members were Sigrid Hausen (vocals) and Michael Popp (instruments), both from the medieval music ensemble Estampie, and Ernst Horn (electronics) from the darkwave formation Deine Lakaien…