Tag Archives: Pagan Folk

A CeltCast Classic
Kati Rán – Sála (2024)

23 Jun
Cliff de Booy
0 Comments

Some records become instant classics the moment that they are released and Sála, the 2024 album by Kati Rán, is one of those. A bold statement, I know, but one I can quite easily explain.

As a kid I discovered my need for ‘healing music’. Music that would lead me into a different world. My own inner world. A world where I could be safe, open up and feel. I had (and still have) the need to sometimes escape this whole darn demanding world and disappear into my own little subspace and recharge. Just some ‘me’ time to be able to let my emotions flow and deal with them in a controlled and safe way. It was and is my way of dealing with this weird, twisted world full of triggers, chaos and insecurities. Music became my safe haven.

Normally, I need a couple of well-chosen songs to work those emotions out, but sometimes, just sometimes, single songs are composed so well that they can take me on that journey by themselves. Telegraph Road by dIRE sTRAITS was the first song that did that. In the pagan folk scene I found a few more: Hymn to Pan (Faun), Circle of Stag (The Dolmen), Torc (SeeD) and Reis Glorios (Estampie), to name a few. Every time I hear these songs, they bring me into that state of emotional bliss were I can let myself go and mentally recharge myself. Put a couple of those songs in one playlist, and I can take on the world again.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it possible that somebody could write a whole album that could have that effect on me. And then there was Sála. The first time I listened to it was on an evening after a long frustrating day at work. I felt agitated, chaotic and was full of frustration. So I put the music on, crawled into my little corner of the couch and it happened — I just instantly connected with the first archaic notes, ages of wisdom seem to pour out of these notes. The tribal -almost Native American- rhythm opened up the path to my inner self I know so well and the soothing voices of Kati Rán, Gaahl and Gealdýr started doing their healing work.
And it continued, song after song after song. Before I knew it, 77 minutes were gone and the last notes of Sátta had played. My mind was at peace again, and the calm silence that followed was just as beautiful as the whole CD I had just listened to. Minutes where I said nothing. Minutes I needed to comprehend what I’d just heard. That’s a rare thing. Even now, after many rounds of intense listening to the album for this review, Kati’s creation has this effect on me.

The music on Sála works in so many ways. The first is the flow of the songs itself. The rhythms, the voices, the compositions, the sounds Kati specially recorded to connect all of them together. All these aspects make listening to this record a meditative, almost spiritual experience. Of course, this starts with Kati’s soothing singing style. If silk had a voice, it would be hers. And luckily for us, she combines that beautiful voice with lovely, almost minimalistic music. Quite often less is more, and Kati understands this concept like no other. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like there is nothing happening in Kati’s music. On the contrary, she knows exactly what to add to keep you captivated till the very last note. No, it’s that perfect balance between ‘less’ and ‘more’, between adding and removing. Kati is a master at it: it is spot on, during the whole album!

There is a picture in the booklet by Gigja Einarsdottir of two Icelandic horses on the beach (used here as the cover for the single Unnr – mindbeach) and that picture embodies every song played on Sála. It is minimalistic, yet full of detail. It is calm, yet full of energy. It is still, yet full of movement. It is the art of using white space to fill a whole world. That is the best description of the music on Sála. Kati uses silence as a note. She uses space as a sound. You don’t have to use words to get a message across. Sound is enough. That is exactly what Kati Rán is doing here. I am moved purely by the careful selection of sounds. Wisely picked one by one. I don’t even need words. Up to this point in the review, as I am writing these words that you are now reading, I haven’t read the lyrics yet. And as I don’t speak Old Norge, Nynorsk, Icelandic or Norwegian I haven’t got a clue what the songs are about. Still Kati –and the other voices on Sála– soothe me in a way I did not think possible. In perfect harmony with the rhythm of music. With the rhythm of the silence. Stone Pillars is my absolute favourite song on this album as it is the accumulation of everything I have said until now. But there is no bad song on here. Every song needs the one before it and the one coming behind it to make the overall experience work. In one word: a masterpiece.

Although Sála should be taken as a whole, I still want to take this moment to mention some individual highlights. I already picked out Stone Pillars, my absolute favourite song on this amazing CD. I love the soundscape feel of this song. The mantra-like lyrics, as much recited as they are sung. And of course the rhythmical melody played on the stone marimba. That combination of the marimba rhythm and those ghost-like yet soothing, slightly whispered voice is just amazing. Kati Rán at her very, VERY best.

The opening song Sála is another highlight for me. I love those deep drums. It’s that rhythm that pulls me straight into a meditative state. I also love the male vocals here by Gaahl and Gealdýr. The combination of the drums and the choral vocals give this song a slight Native American vibe. I love that combination of Nordic folk and Native American chanting. The two go wonderfully together. I love the arrangement of this song as well. It has such a beautiful build up. Pure magic.

The sound of Hefring connects wonderfully to LYS, Kati’s first solo album. There is a sense of longing in this song that I find really captivating. A sense that I hear more often listening to this whole album.

Blodbylgje is of course more than just a song. Its an epic poem, a musician painting, an iconic scene with sound. Some even call it a shamanic audio experience. I had trouble understanding it when I heard it when it was first released. I could not connect with it. But now, put in the context of this whole album, I finally understand it. Yes, it is indeed a very special song.

Dröfn starts with an intriguing sound effect. I’m still trying to figure that one out. What is it? Why is it there? Don’t tell me though, I’ll figure it out. The song itself is actually a poem. I love how after the epic grandness of Blodbylgje, Kati chooses to recite a poem! It is that contrast, that well thought out flow, that makes this album work so well. Your mind is constantly triggered. And on you go on the journey through Kati Rán’s musical world.

Stone Pillars I already mentioned but it fits perfectly at this point of the album. The most introspective point. The main theme of this album are the nine daughters of Ægir and Rán. In Nordic mythology Ægir and Rán both personify the sea. The nine daughters are the sea waves, all with their own personalities. The cool thing is that Kati tells their stories in poems that talk about universal themes. Longing, loss, hurt and warfare. This poetic approach means that we all can take our own feelings and needs out of it. Even if you are not knowledgeable in Nordic mythology, you can take something away from this album.

A next highlight for me is Unnr – Mindbeach. Again, the build-up is beautiful. There is something hypnotic about it. The repetition of the choral part is mind-boggling, the lyrics beautiful. Just take your time to read them. To read the translation. The words fully deserve that. Some of you will by now have noticed I’m not going deeply into those lyrics. That is true and for good reason. First of all, the story is not mine to tell. They are Kati’s lyrics, so I’ll add a YouTube link Kati shared with all of us so she can explain what they mean to her herself. Secondly, I don’t want to ruin your own journey. Find your own meaning in them just as I have done.

At this point I’m fully immersed in the meditative experience that is Sála. Himinglæva is a beautiful duet between Kati Rán and Jaani Peuhu (Iconcrash, Swallow the Sun, Mercury circle). It feels more like a story than a poem. A story of love, longing and loss. And beautifully sung by both Kati and Jaani who also mixed and produced this album. Again that feeling of longing is in there, but Sála is not a sad CD. Nor is it a meditative one although I mention this word so many times in this review. Sála feels inspirational and positive. It also feels like a band project, not a solo CD. Jaani, Gaahl, Gealdýr, Umbra ensemble, Emilie Lorentzen, Florian Ravn (Ravn), Yana Veva (Theodor Bastard) and all the other musicians don’t feel like guests on this album. No, they are all part of this experience. The are all essential contributors to this beautiful piece of art.

As I mentioned a couple of times in this review, Kati has a really soft, soothing voice and up till Hrönn that is the one she used most on this album. But she can also belt and tear through music if she wants to, and she does that to the fullest advantage on Hrönn. I love that part of her music just as much as I love the poetic, healing side. The music itself also picks up momentum again. We get to point where I start to rejuvenate again after the cleansing introspective experience of the previous four songs.

Kati recorded a lot of sounds that she and Jaani used to connect all the songs together, to make this CD sound like one song. The best sound she chose to do so you will find between Bára and Segið Mér. And again it is the power of silence. Bára starts small, like a little drop in the vast ocean of time, but builds up to a powerful crescendo, then suddenly stops, only to continue on as the war cry Segid Mér. What a beautiful transition. I really thought it was one song the first six or seven runs I had Sála play. And what a beautiful song this combination of Bára and Segið Mér is. So powerful. So strong. So… So… I have no words for it. Just put it on and feel it yourself. Put it on loud. Use your headphones. Use your best loudspeakers. You have to feel this, immerse yourself in it. Feel the power of Kati’s whispers, feel the anger of her belted rhythmical chant flow over you. The clever way Jaani and Kati have layered the instruments around this stunning piece of art! As I said at the start, an instant classic in my pagan folk…, in my entire folk…, no, in the whole of my music collection!

On several occasions, Kati said that this album is a journey. Well, that is totally true. It is the ‘healing’ album I did not know that I needed until I listened to it the first time. A classic Nordic folk album that everybody must have in their collection. And that’s my final word on it.

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Cover picture: Arne Beck
Unnr cover picture: Gigja Einarsdottir
Kati Rán portrait: Ruben Terlouw (Woedans)

You can find Kati Rán here:

Runecraft – Alatyr (2024)

22 Apr
Cliff de Booy
0 Comments

In 2022, I wrote a review concerning Bojany, the first release of the Polish pagan folk band Furda, and I loved that album for its ‘forget-about-the-rules-we-just-do-it-like-we-feel’ attitude and the mischievous elements in the music. One of Furda’s members, flutist/singer Bolesław Ren Rygiel, asked me last year if I wanted to listen to music of another project he had set up with his then girlfriend, now wife Karolina Rygiel. The band they started together is called STFUR. Through a musical platform they met up with Antti Martikainen, a Finnish producer and composer who wanted to make Nordic-style folk music, mixing ethnic folk instruments with his signature epic orchestral sound. Together the three of them started working on an album. Ren and Karolina wrote the music and recorded it. Antti was resposible for the orchestation, the mix and the mastering. The end result is a wonderful pagan folk double album called Alatyr and brought out under the name Runecraft.

Two albums in one

The album Alatyr comes in two versions; an orchestrated version and an acoustic one. From a CeltCast point of view the acoustic version is more in keeping with our station, so I’ll focus on that album first.

The first note of the first song Svyatogor immediately sets the tone. Runecraft aim to tell the stories of old gods, heroes, rituals and mystical Slavic creatures through music and do so instantly. That first strike sounds primordial, ancient and oozes mythical history. The guitar, the Irish tin whistle, Ren’s dark, deep throat singing voice and the way the song is produced, with aeons of time smeared over it just make these first notes stand out. I’m there, you got me hooked straight away.

There is so much happening that I find it hard to pinpoint the highlights in this opening track. The song itself is the highlight actually. It’s dark and cheerful at the same time. You have the dark throat singing of Ren and the archaic, tribal sound on one side, but then you have the cheeky slightly mischievous Irish whistle notes flowing all over this song. Not to mention the upbeat percussion that make it impossible to sit still while listening. The perfect mix of Ren’s other band Furda and the positive flute vibes of SeeD‘s Koen van Egmond, with a slight touch of Omnia meets The Moon and the Nightspirit to finish things off.

A beautiful ode to Svyatogor, a legendary gigantic Slavic knight, who according to legend was so big that Mother Earth could only barely hold him, so he lived in the mountains.

Mavka, a delicate touch of heaven

Passing the Furda-meets-Sowulo ballad Nocne Istoty we reach the second highlight on Alatyr, called Mavka. This time I can pinpoint exactly why I love this song so much: just listen to that tantalizing flute melody coming in after the intro this time written and played by Karolina. Both Karolina and Ren are virtuosos on their wind instruments, just as Koen van Egmond is. That nostalgic, almost lonesome feel Karolina is able to put into this flute melody is just astounding. The perfect mix between pagan folk and acoustic ambient dance music. After a first listening session my notes said: ‘This song feels like a warm bath with you weightlessly floating around in the water.’

The song is actually about a Mavka, a female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. Legend says she is the long-haired “Soul of the Forest”, typically depicted as a temptress figure who lures men to their deaths. Well, every note of that flute solo oozes out that legend. Well done, Runecraft.

The fourth song, Wotan, can only be about one legendary figure. The mighty Allfather himself. And you can hear that: this song breathes epicness from start to finish. Going back to my initial notes again: ‘This song is deep and dark. As if the spirits of the underworld are forcing themselves out of the caverns of the earth. And they are no white lighters. No, these spirits are warriors, wolfriders and black knights. These spirits are scary.‘

Still the music stays playful. Everything feels right here. The tribal rhythms, the driving bow string sound (made by attaching a guitar string to a cardboard tube with an iron nail), the flute solos, and especially the vocals. Ren throws everything at this song. Heilung-style chants, throat singing, whispered screams. This is how you use your voice as a bonus instrument.

The final duel between Ren’s monotone chant and the flute energetically swirling around it is a magical example of how Karolina and Ren created the perfect musical world for this Runecraft project.

Ren: ‘Karolina and me both do the vocals. We also both play a similar set of instruments: string, mandolin, guitar, bowed instruments (partly self made), viola, cello and all kinds of flutes. Beside these I alone take care of: jaw harps, reed instruments, didgeridoo, horns and more advanced, ethnic flutes like the Bulgarian kaval. I also recorded the drums on our songs. And of course made some instruments myself, like the cardboard tube ‘nyckelharpa’ you spotted. We write songs together. When it comes to who composes the songs, sometimes Arunka (Karolina) takes the lead, sometimes I do, but it is very much always a collaboration process.’

Instrumental Pagan folk (with vocals)

Which takes us straight into the next highlight, Maypole, which can only be described as an instrumental song with vocals. Come again? The explanation is simple: while Ren and Karolina sing a lot on this album, their voices are mostly used as an added instrument. The perfect way to transfer even more emotions and feelings into their already rich and evocative sound. This song, Maypole, just oozes spring sunshine and joy. You are there, dancing in the sunlight. A breeze flowing though your hair. Your loved one dancing in front of you. The wet grass tickling your bare feet. A perfect bliss of peacefulness.

Mavka, my favourite song of this amazing pagan folk double album

From that spring feeling, we dive straight into the underworld. I love that about this album, the contrast between one song and the next. From the joys of a maypole dance into the deep realms of the Polish underworld. Rotika is a Polish demon who lives in the gateway to the underworld, be it in the wetlands or deep in the Polish forests. Some even say he lives inside old willow trees. In some legends he is seen as the equivalent of Leshy, the protector spirit of the Slavic forests.

The clever musical contrast between dark epic folk and beautiful ambient folklore continues yet again. After the haunting musical portrayal of Rokita, we get the mesmerising epic melody that is called Zoryas, the feminine personification of dawn.
According to Wikipedia she is often depicted as the sister of the Sun, the Moon, and Danica, the Morning Star, with which she is sometimes identified. She lives in the Palace of the Sun, opens the gate for him in the morning so that he can set off on a journey through the sky and guards his white horses.
Well, you can hear all that in this majestic tune.

After which we dive straight into the darker side of Slavic mythology again. First with a visit to the Nav, the souls of the dead, and then the Bald Mountain, Lysa Gora, where the witches would gather for their sabbath. Ending with another more epic sounding tune featuring the gold-like warrior-musician Misizla.

It is hard to compare Runecraft’s music with other bands. They have their own distinctive archaic pagan folk sound just like Furda. Sometimes I sense a whiff of SeeD, sometimes a wave of the darkness of the Moon and the Nightspirit, especially in the male vocals. And quite often I feel a natural connection to the first two albums of Sowulo: Alvenrad and especially Sol. If you have music of these artists in your collection you are definitely going to like the acoustic Runecraft album too.

Meet Antti Martikainen: Epic Music Composer

So what does Antii Martikainen add to this already wonderful music? Well, in short, a whole orchestra with a full choir as a side dish.
Svyatogor opens in almost the same way as the acoustic album. But soon a male choir adds flavour, strings come in and before you know it a brass section and kettledrums open up a whole new dimension of epicness. This is Slavic folk music on a GRAND scale. This is Sowulo’s Alvenrad meets Nightwish‘s orchestral interlude in Ghost Love Score. This is truly epic with a capital E. This you want to play as loud as you can just to feel the whole scale of it. You just have too. Think Lord of the Rings soundtrack. It really sounds this grand. And the cool thing is Antti, doesn’t throw all his musical cards on the table right away. Even with the epic beginning, he manages to build on it during the five minutes of the song, making Svyatogor end on a stunning climax with the whole orchestra shining in its full glory. A song so worthy of the mighty giant knight/hero Svyatogor. Music so epic it can only be carried by a mountain.

Listening on, Antti does the same thing with Nocne Istoty. It begins small again, as Karolina and Ren originally wrote the song. Then you can hear how Antti takes the song and starts writing himself, including more and more melody lines. Adding to the original melody; building on it; layer upon layer; epicness upon grandness. Building this rhythmical chant into an epic war song.

A small introduction

On Bandcamp Antti introduces himself like this:
“I’m an independent composer from Finland. I make all sorts of stuff from ethnic, folk and traditional music to epic orchestral battle music and metal. My music is usually very melodic, rhythmic and simple, but diverse.”
Well he and I may have a different opinion on the term simple, but everything else fits. On Runecraft, he kinda does what Michael Kamen did with Metallica‘s music on their S&M album. Weaving his interpretation into the original music he was given.

And the result—although pagan folk, not metal—is just as grand and full-on as S&M was. In the end, I just had to contact Antti Martikainen and ask him about Runecraft. How he met Ren and Karolina, why he chose them for this project, about the whole process behind this amazing album. Luckily Antii was happy to oblige:

“It’s a pleasure to share a bit of the “behind the curtain” magic for this project. As a composer and producer rooted in the Finnish orchestral tradition, I’m always looking for voices that carry a specific, ancient weight—and that’s exactly what led to the birth of Runecraft.

I actually discovered Arunka [Karolina Rygiel’s nickname] and Ren through Fiverr, a freelancer service. I hired them to produce some Slavic-sounding music because I lacked that musical style in my library. From the first track Ren delivered, it was obvious to me that he and Arunka were a great fit for the project. They didn’t just deliver the usual cheap and fast “Fiverr-slop,” but very carefully crafted pieces that sounded original, authentic, and fresh to me. This raw, earthy authenticity contrasts beautifully with my epic orchestral arrangements. Runecraft wasn’t a planned project; it simply emerged from our collaboration.

While Arunka and Ren were the architects of the core songs-composing and recording the primary melodies and structures for the tracks on Alatyr – my role was to enhance the songs with orchestration, percussion, choirs, and SFX [atmospheric sound effects], and finally to mix, master, and publish the album. In this case, it actually became two albums because there was so much content! My goal was to ensure that the delicate folk instruments and vocals weren’t swallowed by the orchestra, maintaining a balance where you can feel the intimacy of the vocals alongside the scale of the symphony.”

As is already clear from this review, in my opinion Antti achieved all he was aiming for.

So which album do I like best? Is that important? Both albums are great. Both I can recommend highly. Both are good in their own way. The acoustic album I adore for its archaic, slightly dark sound and its cheekiness. The orchestral album I love for all its grandeur. That wall of sound that sweeps me off my feet time and time again. A few weeks ago I saw a performance of gaming in concert by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra on television and all the orchestral Runecraft songs would have fitted in there perfectly. None would have sounded out of place. Is there a bigger compliment possible? I think not!

Luckily both albums come in one package, so you don’t have to choose. Enjoy them both. They are well worth it.

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Artwork: Karolina & Ren Rygiel
Pictures: STFUR, Antii Martikainen

You can find Runecraft here:

You can find STFUR here:

You can find Antii Martikainen here:

New Sowulo album out soon

27 Aug
Cliff de Booy
0 Comments

On Friday the 29th, Sowulo will release their 5th studio album called Niht.

We were honoured that we were allowed to listen to the album in advance.

Our reviewer Cliff de Booy has been all over this new masterpiece from Sowulo, and came back all enthusiastic and inspired.

According to Cliff: ‘Niht is a beautiful album, taking the intense power of previous Sowulo recordings, and adding even more layers to it, leaving me longing for more, every time the music finishes.’

Read all about the new Sowulo album Niht here on the CeltCast website. We at CeltCast can’t wait for the official release, so we finally can share this beautiful music with you, our listeners, on our radio playlists.

Sowulo – Niht (2025)

26 Aug
Cliff de Booy
0 Comments

I still remember listening to Mann for the first time. It felt like an intense outpouring of male emotion in all its raw forms. I was stunned by it, overwhelmed. The 2022 album Wurdiz had a slightly different energy. It started with that same emotionally overpowering wall of sound but the impressive vocals of Micky Huijsmans brought more balance to the songs, a female perspective so to say. And the theme of that album -fate – also made room for different perspectives which reflected in the music. It made room for softer songs, even a tender ballad. This makes Wurdiz a lovely album, beautiful to listen to.

And now we have Niht. The Fifth Sowulo album altogether and the third one in its current Anglo-Saxon orchestra form. Just as on the previous albums, composer and lyricist Faber Horbach takes us back deep into the dark ages and beyond. Back to the times of the Ingvaeones, the Germanic North sea tribes. The

Angles and Saxons in particular. And again, the end result is stunning.

The intro Niwe Mōna sets the tone. Tribal, enchanting but raw with a touch of inner pain. Seolfren Sicol then kicks in with the punch we are used from Faber. Strong, powerful and full of emotion. Micky and Faber sing the lyrics together as a two-man choir. Their voices blend really well together, Micky adding hugely to that already impressive mix of clean and distorted layered vocals that Faber always uses.
But to my pleasant surprise the music then eases back, giving Sowulo’s music a new dimension that I haven’t heard on their last albums that much. The driving percussion and strong vocals are still at the core of this song, but there is suddenly room for some subtle harp playing, some beautiful clean harmonies by Micky and Faber, some lovely cello, some impressive sweeps of the carnyx. And the chorus is seriously catchy. I’m liking this. I’m liking this very much.

Āsteorfan is an equally impressive song. It sounds like a whole orchestra and choir just entered the room. The carnyx joning in makes this tribal orchestra sound even more majestic. The composition itself keeps building up to something truly huge. Layer upon layer of vocals, strings, percussion and carnyx create that wall of sound that Sowulo is so well known for. Wow, this is something. Only downside is you need some headphones and the volume cranked up all the way to fully appreciate the potential of this composition (this is too massive and orchestral to be called a song). Somehow the mastering seems a bit flat. A bit safe. I’m missing something. A bit of a kick. The sound does not grab me by the throat when I play it as I’m used to with the previous albums. Maybe it is because I got the album in advance. I sure hope so, because the potential in the song is there. Faber clearly wrote it to be something massive, something huge.

I have the same problem at the start of Sōl ond Māni. The drums sound slightly overproduced. There seems to be too much effect on them and at the same time they sound clipped, therefore pushing the other instruments away. Especially the subtle percussion elements under it that I can only hear with my headphones fully blasting. But let’s not dwell on that, and listen to what we do have here. Another strong song oozing dark folk out of every note played. Listen to that impressive carnyx wailing over Micky’s vocals. Pure goosebump material. The drums do drive the song on by the way. Like a slow monster. Treading over the world. Unstoppable, scary, beautiful. A song that gets stronger and stronger the more I listen to it. Which goes for the whole album, actually. These songs are like good wine: they need to ripen. I started out liking them. Now at my eight or ninth listening run I’m truly loving them, despite the small remark I made about the mix earlier.

I have to focus on Micky Huijsmans at this point in the review. Faber has given her a much bigger -almost leading- role on Niht and I’m so happy he did that. She is glorious on it. Just listen to her powerful vocals on Sōl ond Māni. You really need some huge lungs and vocal chords to be able to hold your own against the wall of sound that Faber created while writing this composition. And she is nailing it, trust me. Yet, her voice is flexible enough to start small, to be fragile and breakable and as the song progresses she is blasting those notes out. Climbing up on top of that huge wall of sound. Wailing her heart out from the top of it. Becoming one with it. Well done, Micky.

OK we carry on. Full Mōna is another epic song with a lovely catchy chorus to cheer things up a bit. I predict this will become a live hit during concerts, just like Wulfwiga
Miċele Steorran is sung by Faber, but with a lot less effect on his voice then he normally uses. His sound is clean on this song and I like that. It suits this tribute to the stars, this celebration of the night. Faber once wrote and recorded Alvenrad because he wanted music he could play to celebrate the pagan year celebrations. This time it feels he wrote the music to honor the powers of the moon and the magic of the night sky. It seems to celebrate eternity and the darkness that goes with it. The further I get on this album, the more it feels like a ceremony to me. A celebration of the night. And through its darkness also a celebration of life.

The next highlight is Nihtēagan. It starts really beautiful with an intimate moment between Faber, Chloe on harp and Micky. The contrast between the subtle harp play and the raw emotional harsh vocals of Faber make this such a powerful moment. This is so well composed. Before you know it the sound of the nyckelharpa grabs you, sweeping you into a grand chorus of orchestra and choir. Again Micky shines in a beautiful solo moment. And again I wished the mix was a bit more dynamic so her vocals would really cut through the music, making her outpourings really hurt inside, because I can feel the music was meant that way. It was written by Faber to touch something deep inside of us, in a truly spiritual or emotional way. This is where Faber Horbach excels. It is not the first time that I have called him a classical pagan folk composer and it most likely will not be the last time. His compositions have the same strength, the same grand power that songs like Land Of Hope And Glory by Edgar Elgar also have. But then in a tribal, pagan way.

Talking about classical pagan music, we now come to one of my highlights on this album. A solo for carnyx. And what a solo it is. This beautiful instrument gets its moment to shine. It is truly stunning to hear all the possibilities this beautiful instrument has. It growls, it screeches and it tears at the moon. Its howls are beautiful and disturbingly eerie at the same time. It can sound beautiful, full and harmonious like a horn at one moment; growling, gnarly and angry like a wolf the next; or even impressively high-pitched like an elephant’s cry in the night. And all that with a human touch, a deep sadness in it. Absolutely beautiful and disturbing at the same time. No wonder the Germanic tribes used the carnyx as a war instrument. Imagine what would happen if you have a 100 of these things wailing at you while you wait for the things to come. But played like this, by Faber, it’s an instrument of beauty. A prehistoric voice brought back through time, crying out from the ancient depths of history in all its beauty.
Faber, thank you for that!

Eald Mōna beautifully picks up on this. To me it feels like a march. A tribe on its way to find the light again; marching into a tunnel of darkness; one by one; looking for the new moon; to drag it out of its cave and have the circle start all over again. There is a beautiful sadness in this song, a melancholy in the melody that I really like.

Swefnian has beautiful lyrics. Without music it reads like a poem. Overall, you can hear that Faber has grown as lyricist, just as he has grown as a composer. Niht is a beautiful album, taking the intense power of previous Sowulo records, and adding even more layers to it, leaving me longing for more every time the music finishes. Luckily, Niht is just a chapter in the cycle of life; just a moment in time. There are many more moons to come. Many more moments to grow. I cannot wait what the next cycle will bring for Sowulo, but until then I will happily have Niht ‘cycle’ its rounds in my CD player, time and time again! To celebrate the beauty of music, to celebrate the beauty of the night -and most importantly – to celebrate the magic called life.

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Cover Art: Faber Horbach
band photography: Henk van Rijssen (FB)
live photography: Cliff de Booy

Sowulo can be found here:

Laguz – A View From Down Below (2024)

30 Jul
Cliff de Booy
0 Comments

In one of her latest blogs Kati Rán wondered what the future holds for pagan folk. Well, judging by the music of new bands like Noiduin, Furda and STFUR, the future looks really bright. Dutch band Laguz is another new star on the pagan folk horizon. And their debut album A View From Down Below certainly deserves an in-depth review. And we here at CeltCast predict this band to have a very bright future ahead of them.

Just a few notes into opening track Io Evohe and I already know one thing fur sure. A View From Down Below just oozes neo-pagan folk. All the ingredients are there: An almost drone-like hurdy-gurdy tune, supported by rattles and percussion giving this song a real archaic, tribal feel; background laughter that instantly pulls my imagination into an enchanted forest; a mesmerising hand flute mimicking the sound of an owl, luring you in, weaving in and out of the music like morning mist jumping from tree to tree in the wakening forest. Or are they night spirits returning to their boroughs? And these are only the first few seconds of the song! Vocals come in, chanting, giving the song a spiritual feel even strengthened by the throat-singing backing vocals. Yet the rhythm of the percussion, the flute wondering through the sound like a breeze in the air, the laughter in the background make Io Evohe sound light and lovely and captivating. It sounds like we are in for a feast, and this is just the intro to the album. I’m already intrigued. What will be next?

While my mind is still floating on the last enticing notes of Io Evohe, the first notes of the second song Bacchanalia already kick in. Totally taking me by surprise but also fully engaging me in the album at the same time. Well done by the brothers Kasper and Samuel de Vries who recorded and mixed this album together. Gone is the mysterious feel of the intro. The sound is now open, with lots of space for all the instruments. A sound that Laguz maintains throughout the whole album.
The band leads me down into a beautiful Balkanesque instrumental tune. One after another, all the instruments take the lead. Their solos, melodies and improvisations luring me in deeper and deeper. With my headphones on I’m totally emerged in this wonderful melody. The notes are constantly dancing together, interacting, calling, responding, flowing in and around each other like leaves falling down in a breeze. I’m really loving this. Overall, the song feels open, friendly and light, but don’t be fooled. A sudden break takes the sound from a lovely Balkanesque-meets-SeeD vibe into a rawer Rastaban Arise feel, just to flow into a catchy Twigs & Twine-like sound… …and then the song becomes a beast of its own. Dark, klezmer-like violin improvisations give me the first shivers of excitement. As the flute leads us back to the main theme — now fully matured — I know we are in for something good. Something really special.

The third song How Curious the Light Behaves confirms that. Again, I get that whiff of klezmer as I listen to the chalumeau intro. The longing oozing out of every note that is played. How Curious The Light Behaves is inspired by a poem and you can hear that. Vocalist Samuel de Vries has the voice of a bard, full of emotion and warmth. The perfect interpreter for this beautiful Irish poem by an unknown writer. The band accompanies his words brilliantly. Their notes wrapping around his words like a cloak. Strengthening their meaning, becoming a poem itself as the song goes and goes. The instrumental break is a thing of beauty. It starts as a beautiful duet between recorder and chalumeau, but one by one, the other instruments flow in, and a choir brings it all to a wonderful climax before the song falls back into its original form. Just a voice, a violin and a guitar. Well done! This is something else.

By now I really want to know who this band is. Where did they come from? How can a debut album be this good? Time to dive into their Biography:
‘Formed in 2012 in the south of The Netherlands, Laguz started out as an acoustic pagan-folk band, inspired by folkloric traditions, early music, and artists like Faun and Loreena McKennitt. Over time, their sound has grown into something deeper and more atmospheric, but still grounded. Music that looks back, without getting stuck in the past.
Their songs are mostly original, though they occasionally rework traditional pieces. The lyrics flow between English and other European languages, and the themes often touch on nature, pre-Christian spirituality, and old ways of being. Their name, taken from the rune Laguz, reflects that spirit of flow—emotional, intuitive, always moving.
In 2023, they released their first single, Minne, and followed it up a year later with their debut album A View from Down Below — a moody, intimate journey through Mediterranean heat and northern forests.‘

Well… I don’t have much to add to that. Their biography sums the band up perfectly. Several band members were or are involved in other bands and projects, mostly party folk and folk metal bands, so they are definitely not new to the scene and you can hear that. But although they brought the experience of working on those other project with them, Laguz is certainly not the sum of those other bands. There is not a heavy or party note in sight here! No, Laguz is something unique. Although clearly oozing pagan folk with every note they play, I cannot point it down to another specific band. Laguz has their very own sound. They sound like Laguz! And that’s the biggest compliment I can give them. And I’m only at song three, there is so much more to come!
To Mimir, for instance, is a beautiful harp ballad, again starting small but ending in a grand sound.
There is Treelore: a ‘power’ ballad that reminds me a bit of Emian’s Spirit trail. Especially because singer Samuel de Vries and Danilo Lupi (Edea, ex-Emian) have the same type of sound.

Lunaria is another lovely song. Starting nice and catchy, but developing into a beautiful pagan folk pearl. Big, bold, full of details, but always open and pleasant. The song feels like a Northern forest brook streaming through an Eastern Mediterranean paradise garden filled with butterflies. Gentle, calming, pleasant, but once you start to really listen there is so much sparkling detail in there. Like candy for the ears.

This album just flows and flows and flows. Every song gets its time to grow into a beautiful entity. Nothing is rushed. No note sounds out of place and all the musicians are to be commended for their skills. They feed off of each other. Each solo seems to flow out of the previous one, as if it’s an endless dance of notes and skills. Laguz’ music ‘travels’ from note to note, from place to place. And we are but Nomads traveling with it. Drifting on the calm power of this beautiful, poetic CD.

Cliff

Editor: Iris
Album cover: Kasper de Vries
Photography: Karlijn Groenendijk

Laguz can be found here:

Reviewer’s note:
Those of you who’ve already bought this album may have noticed that my comparisons and descriptions are different from those that the band give in their comments liner notes that goes with the CD. That is because I always listen to an album first, without reading any information, to be as open-minded as possible. So the comparisons are my own. They are my interpretation of the music Laguz makes. They are my own dreams an thoughts. But that is the cool thing, isn’t it? That everybody will dream their own dream while listening. It is also the magic of A View From Down Below, that the band managed to take make me dream. Trust me, these songs will take you places. So close your eyes and start dreaming. Flow away with the melodies. May it take you to your own place of peace and beauty. Just as it did with me.







Player

Please support us through: iDeal or PayPal

Recent tracks

Loading ...