The Rock Blogger

Empyrium. Where at Night the Wood Grouse Plays . 1999. 4 stars .

Germany’s now defunct Empyrium have crafted a gorgeous neofolk album in the same vein as Ulver’s Kveldssanger, complete with classically inspired acoustic melodies and haunting, Gregorian inspired vocals. While albums embracing acoustic instrumentals and forest imagery are becoming increasingly common in underground music circles, Where at Night is so succinct and convincing in its vision that its beauty is hard to match.

The sound created by the soft guitar arpeggios is sweeping and majestic, making songs like "A Pastoral Theme" and "Abendrot" deep and relaxing exercises. Most of the album is instrumental with the exception of a few tracks like "Many Moons Ago" and "Where Shadows Grow Longer" where the deep, almost religious sounding chants weave narratives of mystical forests and enchanted encounters with their inhabitants. The result of pairing almost ancient dynamics with acoustic songwriting is almost unnervingly successful, as these graceful tones will send chills down your spine.

For a twilight journey into the heart of the wilderness, Empyrium is the guide of choice, as they create a rich atmosphere that rivals the darkest black metal records without the brutal musicianship. The only downside to Where at Night is that its far too short, clocking in at around 30 minutes. Just as the melodies are sucking you in, the experience fades off. The sun rose a little too early I suppose. Despite its short duration, Empyrium’s opus remains a masterpiece of refined instrumentation.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at 11:19 am and is filed under Reviews, Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.