Prophecy Productions

Empyrium: A Retrospective 2002-2021

/ Ryan Chapman / Leave a comment

Welcome to part two of my mini reviews of Empyrium’s later discography. The new year has turned, and winter is upon us which means Empyrium gets a lot of listens from me this time of year. I would say the later half of their discography is some of the most compelling and emotionally resonating (especially for me). The one main difference between earlier records and later records is the length of time between full length albums. “Weiland” came out in 2002 and then “Turn of the Tides” was released 12 years later. Finally, “Über den Sternen” was released seven years later. Each album is unique, but each has that underlining Empyrium sense of dark romanticism and mystical nature worship. I would say that Empyrium have done a lot of experimenting and fine-tuning in their later albums. There is still the ever present dark folk element, but they dabble into more post rock, shoegaze, and gothic aspects of music. There was a lot of patience between each album, but the wait paid off because Empyrium’s later works are astonishing and beautifully introspective across the board.

Weiland (2002) 9/10

When “Weiland” was released, I was so excited to see what new, dark paths Empyrium took and come to find out that the new album was an even longer more substantial medieval dark folk album compared to its predecessor “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays”. There were so many amazing and compelling aspects of “Weiland” you had the gamut of acoustic strumming, haunting operatic vocals and even tinges of black metal sprinkled throughout the record. Hearing the album takes you into the darkest and mistiest worlds of forests, glades, rivers, and hidden/ancient structures crumbling with time. It magnifies the imagery tenfold compared to “Where at Night…” later in my life I felt “Weiland” has really helped me calm my stress and helped me daydream again. It is not only a mind-clearing listening experience but a mind-altering one as well. Best Songs: Fortgang, Waldpoesie, and Die Schwäne im Schilf

The Turn of the Tides (2014) 8/10

“The Turn of the Tides” was a surprise release for me when I came across it, I thought Empyrium were on an extended hiatus for a long while. 12 years is a long time to wait for new material and when the album was finally released, I was immediately listening to a more post rock/metal/ambient well produced album compared to the more archaic sounds of Empyrium’s earlier releases. There was a sense of modernism to the album but there was a very primal sense of melancholy and wistfulness to the entirety of “The Turn of the Tides” I would say this album hits hard and deep and lacks any gothic romanticism and mysticism. It sounds rawer, more vulnerable, and even airy at times. There is a lot of great songs on here that allows you to let your tears flow but there are a couple songs that seem to just be there without any significant emotion or deeper feeling compared to other songs on “The Turn of the Tides”. Best Songs: Saviour, Dead Winter Ways, and The Days Before the Fall

Über den Sternen (2021) 9/10

“Über den Sternen” is the latest opus by Empyrium and an absolute stunning album in so many amazing ways. It brings back the mystical and nature worship of earlier releases but magnifies it by a million. There is a strong sense of dreamy, misty, and shadowy forests in each of the songs. There is a feeling of wandering those woods and stumbling upon mystical beings and energies at the most unlikely of times. “Über den Sternen” harkens back to some of Empyrium’s black metal/doomy roots which adds a bit of power and heaviness to the listening experience in the best possible way. When I heard the album in its entirety, I felt like that young 22-year-old who was lost in the soundscapes of “Where at Night…” thinking of ghosts, lost love, nature, and the mysteries of the universe. I felt a great sense of comfort and longing again within the music of “Über den Sternen”. The familiarity of Empyrium’s entire discography is found in spades within this record, whatever feelings their music evoked in you over the years it brings those feelings/memories back. Best Songs: The Three Flames Sapphire, The Oaken Throne, and The Wild Swans

Thus concludes my mini reviews of Empyrium’s discography. There is so much variety and intrigue found in each release. If you have a love for mystical/introspective music I would give all their albums a listen and please use a careful ear and an open mind. I guarantee that the imagery, and feelings found in their music will resonate with you long after. It will make you appreciate the nature around you and allow you to daydream and think of dark fairy tales if you allow the music to effect you that way. Healing comes with introspection and a quiet mind and Empyrium’s music will help facilitate that healing in a multitude of ways.

Bandcamp: https://empyrium.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empyriumfans

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zDkgQanNydhYIqQwQK9Ct/discography

Empyrium: A Retrospective 1996-1999

/ Ryan Chapman / Leave a comment

One band that has been a huge foundation for me and my interests in neofolk, classical and black metal is the band Empyrium from Germany. When I first got my hands on “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” back in the early 2000s I was immediately hooked to the dark, bardic melodies of Empyrium that allowed me to appreciate the beauty of night and all its mystery and wonders. Since getting lost in their music and diving into their discography deeper and deeper I have grown to develop an affinity to what the world offers when the sun sets. Another element to Empyrium’s music is how much their music hits me in my emotional core. I always found ways to escape the negatives of my existence by getting lost in the enchanting music of Schwadorf (Markus Stock), and Thomas Helm.

I have decided to start another run of mini reviews of Empyrium’s discography and will be beginning with their early albums from 1996 until 1999.  I would say the first half of Empyrium’s works where revolutionary during the times of the big three doom metal giants (Anathema, My Dying Bride, and Paradise Lost). Also, their music gave the world a hint of what German black metal could sound like influenced by Ulver’s original black metal trilogy specifically “Kveldssanger” with these first three albums. I would say these years of Empyrium were full of creative, and innovative fire because hearing these earlier works were nothing I have really heard before when I got into underground metal.

A Wintersunset… (1996) 8/10

I listened to this album later in my foray into Empyrium’s music. Hearing “A Wintersunset…” shows a youthful energy that has a mystical even dreamlike quality to the music and production. There are obvious goth tinges mixed in with classical music, and black/doom metal. It reminds me of all the thoughts and memories I have had in my later teens and early twenties regarding melancholia and yearning, but also, escaping from a banal existence. The album evokes misty images of fall and wintertime and wandering through woods and meadows engulfed in the elements. It gives a warm, cold, and even hazy energy to the listening experience. I rate this album a little bit lower because there is a definite naivety to the album, and I think it just comes with being Empyrium’s first album. What makes it such a good album is the fact it gives a precursor to how much Empyrium has grown as musicians in future albums. Best Songs: Under Dreamskies, The Franconian Woods in Winter’s Silence, and The Yearning

Songs of Moors & Misty Fields (1997) 9/10

A year later Empyrium released easily one of their best albums in “Songs of Moors & Misty Fields” hearing this album takes you on a journey unlike any album I have heard. There is a real sense of mystery, wonderment, pain, sadness, and pensiveness to the writing in this album. It takes you down multiple paths to venture and always gives you a beautiful end to the different song trails. The album has a knack for giving real emotions about the sadness of love both unrequited and ending. There is a genuine sense of vulnerability and frustration in both the instruments and lyrics. I think it is one Empyrium’s most well-rounded and consistent albums. The songs are all great quality with great imagery abound. It hits all the right black, doom, goth, and folk notes in every single song. It is the perfect atmospheric record to listen to and it does an incredible job getting you lost in its various nooks and crannies throughout. Best Songs: The Blue Mists of Night, Lover’s Grief, and The Ensemble of Silence

Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays (1999) 10/10

Surprisingly “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” was my first real introduction to the neofolk/dark folk sound. It is to this day my all time favorite Empyrium record. When I first got the CD and put it into my player I was immediately lost in the bardic, mystical, and medieval sounds of the album. I absolutely loved the vocals it brought out the dreamlike vibe to the album in a multitude of ways. The album brought me back to ancient times of decrepit castles, wandering ghosts, dark woods, and meadows dancing with mist and fireflies. There is a real sense of pastoral nature throughout the record. Hearing the album while driving at night in the woods of New Hampshire is the perfect place and time to get lost in the music and imagery. When it comes to a potential soundtrack of night and its mysteries “Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays” is the way to go. Best Songs: All of them!

Bandcamp: https://empyrium.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empyriumfans

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4zDkgQanNydhYIqQwQK9Ct/discography

Fen “The Dead Light” Review

/ Ryan Chapman / Leave a comment

Fen_TheDeadLight_cover_art.JPG

Fen has released a new album called “The Dead Light” it is their next opus in their extensive and consistent discography. I had the pleasure to listen to the album and wanted to say that it is good but there are some moments where the album gets a bit repetitive. Instead of covering themes of nature and the ground beneath our feet Fen have decided to take the listener skywards to the stars and planets above. The album takes me through this journey in a wonderful way. I picture ancient populations before civilization ballooned looking up at the night sky in wonderment and mystery. I think the lads from Fen have constructed an album that really conveys these feelings.

The album starts with an instrumental that paints an image of wandering a meadow at night stargazing. There is a calming vibe with the song but as it progresses, it builds to the first song “The Dead Light (Part 1)” and as the first chords kick in I now see myself sitting on an asteroid shooting through space and time. This song is very progressive in nature, and a bit chaotic in a way to. This is the first major difference from Fen’s prior releases they get much more proggy in their song structure. I think this helps “The Dead Light” but hurts it a bit too. I have not been the biggest fan of prog metal because I feel it meanders too much and gets a bit too technical for my liking. Some moments in the album go in that direction, but Fen are able to balance it out with much more beautiful post metal passages.

As the album continues we are then introduced to another instrumental bridge “The Dead Light (Part 2)” that reminds me so much of Morgion’s instrumental “Solinari” it has this very mystical and ethereal vibe going on with it that is perfect transition to one of the stand out tracks “Nebula”. This is a really well written and beautiful song by Fen, they go straight up black metal meets post rock meets shoegaze in this song. It shows how versatile they are as songwriters because you get a sense of chaos and kinetic energy in one song and now introduced to a very dreamy/introspective tune to balance it out. I think “Nebula” is probably the closest sound to their work off “The Malediction Fields” with an even greater emphasis on clean vocals.

bandpic

The last four songs off “The Dead Light” are very different from one another and this where things end up getting a bit repetitive on the album. The first track “Labyrinthine Echoes” is a good song and epic in nature. It sounds like an extended version of Enslaved’s “Return to Yggdrasil” with many movements both heavy and quiet. The next two songs “Breath of the Void” and “Exsanguination” are where the album gets a bit rocky. These songs sound very similar to one another and just bleed into one another. Nothing really stands out about these tracks compared to other amazing songs on the album I have heard so far.

The final song on the album “Rendered in Onyx” is an amazing song and a great closing opus to end the album on a high note. The images in this song are stunning, dreamlike and hopeful. When I hear this song, I picture myself floating in the Milky Way with stars, and planets surrounding me. The millions of suns warming my face amidst the peace and quiet of the interstellar silence. I feel “Rendered in Onyx” is a healthy mix of “Bereft” and “Winter III (Fear)” it has that specific hook that really hits all the right emotional buttons. The combination of clean vocals and The Watcher’s screams makes this song super interesting. It successfully takes you down so many paths both aggressive and calming.

“The Dead Light” is another great entry in Fen’s discography. There are plenty of highlights to be heard on the album there are just some areas that didn’t impress me as much as the songs from Fen’s prior releases, specifically, “Winter” and “Carrion Skies” . If you have been a fan of Fen, you will enjoy this album and may even love the songs I did not enjoy as much. Fen is one of those bands that know how to write consistently good music and I am glad to hear the experimentation found on the album. Eventually the different paths Fen takes with their music will lead to even more interesting and adventurous albums in the future.

Rating 8/10

Bandcamp: https://fenuk.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fenofficial

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FenBandUK

bandpic2

A Review of “Salt” by KHôRADA

/ Ryan Chapman / Leave a comment

Salt

When the news came out about the emergence of KHôRADA I was super excited and intrigued to see what direction Don Anderson, Jason Walton and Aesop Dekker would go with the inclusion of Giant Squid’s brainchild AJ Gregory. To me this was quite the dichotomy of styles and influences that could in turn create an album so unique and mammoth that it would be genre-defining than genre-rehashing. I think this has always been the motivation of these talented musicians over the years, when Agalloch was an entity they always challenged themselves and went to higher levels of creativity, the same can be said about Giant Squid. What I see in KHôRADA’s album “Salt” is that Don, Jason, AJ and Aesop do not believe in a mediocre product, they have crafted a piece of music that is relevant, challenging and absolutely crushing. The heaviness in this album is beyond words, there is so much riffs that are doom-laden and just bleak. The sounds erupting from all the instruments absolutely engulfs you in suffocating, strange and otherworldly ways.

When you are first introduced to “Salt” there is a sound of distant horns heralding the end of the world. As the song progresses the helpless, and emotive vocals of AJ Gregory arise from the watery depths. His voice prophesizes the end of the world and the birth of the sixth mass extinction. After reading the lyrics of “Edeste” I came to the conclusion that “Salt” is going to be a hopeless, fatalistic, and nihilistic journey. As the album progressed the themes and emotions in music continued to grow and grow into utter despair and despondency. This may sound negative but I guarantee this is a positive, KHôRADA’s “Salt” is a tiring but important journey of the heart and soul. After multiple listens I was thinking more and more about mortality of not only myself but the whole of mankind. The guitars, bass, drums and vocals put the listener through a series of inner trials and tribulations and you come out of the fog with a different view of life and the inevitable doom that will follow.

Khorada

Photo Credit: Cody Keto Photography

As the album progresses the songs get more and more dense/evocative. As I am listening to all the nuances I am hearing snippets of Agalloch and Giant Squid. The guitar work of Don Anderson is always a stand out, the solos and leads he incorporates are very distinctive and melancholic. AJ Gregory’s guitars are a lot crunchier, and it really gives KHôRADA a unique identity. The one thing that really impressed me more than anything else is the bass and drum work of Jason and Aesop. The foundation they have built together really gives “Salt” such depth, intensity and heaviness. The drumming is just outstanding and there are a ton of bass leads and lines that are right at the forefront that makes the tracks all the gloomier.

The one thing you will notice above all else about “Salt” is the very apparent political statement found throughout AJ Gregory’s lyrics. He specifically said in the conception of “Salt” that it is a protest against the Trump-era and how this era will expedite the inevitable end of the world. There is such a sense of anger and hopelessness in the lyrics that it makes you really concerned about the future especially for future generations. Surprisingly enough AJ Gregory, Don Anderson, Jason Walton and Aesop Dekker tend to develop music at the most relevant times which increases the impact and weight of “Salt”. Truly this is a testament to the talent and skill they all have, I am really looking forward to seeing what type of album they will come up with next. When you have such gifted musicians in a project like KHôRADA the next album will inevitably be impactful and genre-defining. In the dark ages we are in now as human race a band like KHôRADA is the light found in the darkest recesses of the abyss.

Rating: 8/10

Official Site: https://www.khorada.com

Bandcamp: https://khorada.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khorada/

khoradapracticing

Photo Credit: Cody Keto Photography