How Long Can You Hide

Antimatter (UK)

Leaving Eden

April, 2007

Not to get all sensitive on your ass, but today I'm leaving Eden with a brand of melancholic acoustic rock that aims to melt souls and tug on heartstrings. The city lights outside are low, and it looks like it's going to be another one of those rainy days again. Originally formed by the bassist/songwriter for Anathema, Duncan Patterson, Leaving Eden was released after his departure and remains the work of sole current member Mick Moss. The undercurrent of subtle electronic momentum (albeit slow moving) is used as a foundation for emotional dirges through a spectrum of greys. The quality of the songwriting is what keeps me listening to this mopefest, whether its the delicately tense and quiet melodies of "Ghosts," the eerie chilling ballad of "The Freak Show," or the depressive majesty of the title track in all its' guitar soloing glory. Minimalism is used extensively to allow for maximum impact, the guitar lines will absorb through the pores of the skin, making their way to the bloodstream, where the downcast effect is truly felt from within. Beautifully naked music, there's always a time and a place. Give it a listen below.

The Corascene Earth

Earth (USA)

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II

February 14, 2012

Earth's second half of the Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light double album (the first half was released last year) continues to sound like a western straight out of antiquity, it's got the distinctly Americana twang of rocking-chair-on-the-porch solitary drones, a calm and hypnotic balancing waltz between the dark angels and the light demons. This music feels grounding, a 45 minute introspection after the dust settles. This metaphorical dust had been whipped up in a storm of emotions coming to terms with the futility -- and necessity -- of moving on, day by day, slow growth. Old growth. This is not about the songs, this is about the sounds. The fragments of 'hooks' are particular fleeting string bends, or a subtle crest of a warm updraft in the form of a background cymbal crash, the slow ebb and flow of waltzing clouds of the blues. Truly saying a lot with minimal use of sounds. If you listen intently, you find yourself anticipating the gorgeous textures that momentarily peak with acute awareness, though if you listen passively in the background you subconsciously soak in vivid and broad landscapes into the canvas of your mind. Read on to stream the album...

Carved into Air

Dornenreich (Austria)

In Luft Geritzt

May 9, 2008

Sometimes I feel compelled to back off the abrasiveness in my audio intake. A little jazz here, maybe some ambient there, it all keeps the cycles flowing. Variety is a spice becoming much more exotic over time, it seems. Maybe that's just the mood I'm in while I write this. Regardless, I always admire Dornenreich's finesse with regards to unleashing their bold yet exceptionally rich duality between elegant acoustic neo folk and magnificently menacing black metal. Generally they are probably more known as a blackened neo folk metal band (But who knows?), though the focus of this post is on their entirely acoustic folk album In Luft Geritzt, a passionate showcase of cultural expressionism, driven by the intimacy of thoughtful guitars with whispered recitations, and steered by the emotionally gripping leads of violin and cello. Moments of aggression do occasionally boil over the pot of stirred feelings within the drama of unfolding love ("Unruhe", "Sehnlauf", "Meer"), there's an almost sexual tension to the push and pull waltz of "Freitanz", though elated triumph is never far away ("Drang", "Flügel in Fels", "Aufbruch"), all the while, a sublime ray of mystical romantic illumination breathes life unbound by time throughout the gentle earthen compositions. Refresh your spirits with this elixer of golden sound. Listen below.