Graumahd was one of the positive surprises for me at the WGT festival in Leipzig. Though far from faultless (it was only their second live appearance), I enjoyed their dynamic concert with six people on stage. I don’t know much from Graumahd, except that they come from Austria and that they have musical relationships with other acts from that country like Allerseelen and Sturmpercht. They also participated on the “Wir Rufen Deine Wolfe” compilation (they played their version live).
This four track 7″ single was released in 2004. There’s no information whatsoever about track titles or credits on the cover. The band uses guitars, drums, flutes and cello to create an accessible kind of neo-folk. The music of Graumahd resembles other dark folk acts, but leaves a positive impression because of the energy and spontaneity that the songs convey. The music seems also to be influenced by older psychedelic folk.
The compositions vary nicely between tranquil and uptempo parts. Especially the (classical) guitars come to the foreground, which are played more sophisticated than many other neofolk acts do. The vocals are a little raw, but that’s no rare thing with this type of music.
This single is over before you know it, so it’s time for an album of Graumahd.
