Label: Triskele Recordings – TRSKL001 Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition Country: US Released: 2010 Genre: Rock Style: Avantgarde, Neofolk
Tracklist
1 Ode To A Briton - Lead Vocals – Katrin X 1:10 2 Helith's Hill - Contrabass [Double Bass] – Sabrina Steiner; Performer [Additional Human Skull Scraping] – Per Nilsson 5:43 3 Little Edelweiss - Guitar [12-string] – B9 Invid 4:47 4 Woden Within 2:02 5 Unter Den Linden - Accordion – Pedro In Portugal 5:18 6 The Cairn At The Crossing 3:20 7 Take Courage! 1:16 8 Empire, Night & The Breaker - Lyrics By – Harry "'Breaker" Harbord Morant 3:47 9 Sacrifice 3:26 10 Call To Arms 4:46 11 Needful Death 3:21 12 Dream Of An Omen 4:31 13 Cernunnos Chant (Live - Elysium, Austin, TX) 1:52 14 Tree Of Sacrifice (Live - Good Records, Dallas, TX) 3:50 15 The Bonds Of Blood (Live - Scandalnavia) - Performer [Chains And Effects] – Per Nilsson 5:51
Credits Backing Vocals, Percussion, Photography By [Uncredited] – Katrin X Bass – Sam Electronics, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Producer – Eric Kristoffer Engineer – Per Nilsson Voice, Lyrics By, Concept By, Percussion [Antique Drum, Human Skull, Bones], Bodhrán, Singing Bowls, Cymbal, Chimes, Photography By, Artwork – Erin Powell
Notes Comes in a Digipak. Limited to 1,000 copies. Recorded between Code Violation studios, FT Worth, Texas and Scandinavian Studios, Irving, Texas 2005-2008 CE. Text for "Empire, Night & The Breaker" is the poem "A Night Thought", penned in 1891 CE by the pagan poet and scapegoat soldier Harry "Breaker" Morant.
Label: Old Europa Cafe – OECD 197 Format: CD, Album, Digipack Country: Italy Released: 2014 Genre: Rock Style: Neofolk
Tracklist
1 Grim Grey King 2 Tree Of Sacrifice 3 Grym Grå Kung 4 Humble Hempen Cord 5 Grimmigen Grauen König 6 Grim King Of The Ghosts 7 Bitter Augur 8 Il Re Grigio Cupo 9 Seeker 10 Cradle Spell 11 Sons Of Exiles 12 Sacred Bones 13 Grimmvogel
1 FUThARK 4:32 2 Little Edelweiss (Original Demo) 4:06 3 Unter Den Linden (Demo) - Backing Vocals – Katrin X 5:18 4 The Cairn At The Crossing (Demo) - Backing Vocals – Eric K 3:20 5 Woden Within (Demo) 2:05 6 Dream Of An Omen (Demo) 4:26
Credits Electronics, Guitar, Producer – Eric K Percussion – Katrin X Voice, Percussion, Lyrics By – Erin Powell
Notes Available via Triskele Recordings' bandcamp, in multiple file formats. Personal notes from the artist in reference to the release: "This was compiled and sold at live performances during 2007 C.E. Many songs, excluding the title track, would be reworked or remastered for release on The Bells Before Dawn. This release also features the original version of "Little Edelweiss"."
Other Versions Awen (CDr, Ltd) Not On Label (Awen Self-released) none US 2007
Awen – Grim King of the Ghosts Review (Plus: Exclusive Track Stream)
Grim King of the Ghosts is the second album from the American neofolk project Awen after their 2009 debut The Bells Before Dawn, though the band has had much activity in the intervening years with limited singles and compilation appearances. The album was released on the Italian Old Europa Café label in a digipak format with a pressing of 300 copies. It contains thirteen tracks, totaling fifty minutes of music that straddles the neofolk and martial genres, with hints of dark ambient/industrial.
This is a concept album, and per the promotional text it “stands as a sonic dedication to the ties that bind this world to the spectral” and is “rooted in the concept of the Grim Grey King.” The music and songs which Awen employ on Grim King of the Ghosts is successful at bringing this concept to fruition, with the overall album showcasing musical acumen, standout songs, memorable lyrics (in a variety of languages), and vocals that range from bombastic to seductive. Awen, helmed by Erin Powell and Katrin X—along with a plethora of other musicians including b9 InVid (from Et Nihil and the now-defunct, infamous industrial project Luftwaffe)—brings a musical diversity to Grim King of the Ghosts which ranges from haunting and unnerving to militant, mystic, and folky, while managing to keep each track’s sounds canonical for the entire experience.
The first standout track on the album is “Tree of Sacrifice,” which has ominous drumming and organ work while being propelled by Powell’s booming vocals, which are a strange but successful mix of shouting and oratory. It’s angry, like a shouting priest, and a great way to start off the album proper after the intro track.
Awen’s cover of “Seeker” is a welcome surprise in that it takes the song in a different but positive direction over both the Fire + Ice and Blood Axis versions. The violins and somber voices are forfeited, and in their place is a faster tempo with a greater emphasis on acoustic guitar and harmonized vocals, both of which have been added courtesy of b9 InVid. It’s successful and stands up well on its own, even when compared to its predecessors.
Katrin X’s vocals take the lead on a few tracks, her style different every time. Her best track is “Cradle Spell,” which is an iteration of the traditional Scottish lullaby “Cradle Spell of Dunvegan.” The song starts off very much like a lullaby, but after three minutes the song switches gears, the guitar picks up, and other members of Awen join in by singing. The transition is executed quite well and is not jarring at all.
The title track is perhaps the most important, as it sums up the theme of this concept album. The lyrics are culled from different versions and adaptations of the traditional “Grim King of the Ghosts,” arranged by Powell into a new narrative. Drawing from different eras of the song gives the lyrics an added ancestral weight. The music itself is more grandiose (and maybe even a little optimistic) in feeling, with the guitar work and the harmonized background vocals giving the song a hint of a Spaghetti Western vibe.
The vast majority of the tracks on Grim King of the Ghosts mirror these strengths, so there are only a few blemishes on the album. The music of “Grym Grå Kung” is too abrasive and uncomfortable. It overstays its welcome with its almost five-minute duration. “Il Re Grigio Cupo” fares better than “Grym Grå Kung”; it’s less noisy, and the guest appearance by Gaya Donadio sounds like a late-90’s Nina Hagen. However, the song sounds like a broken computer emitting strange signals—a ghost in the machine, as it were—and while it fits within the scope of the album’s theme, it simply doesn’t hold up when compared to the rest of the songs.
As great as the music proper is for Grim King of the Ghosts, the actual packaging needs help. Kudos does need to be given to Old Europa Café, as many of their releases as of late have embraced either inventive packaging (such as the plastic envelope of Wappenbund’s A Way to the Empire of Light) or using high-quality digipaks. This practice definitely sets the label’s products in terms of presentation above many other label’s releases, and Awen’s Grim King of the Ghosts receives the digipak treatment.
The problem is that the format is not utilized correctly for this release. While the cover art proper is quite nice—showing the iconic Awen logo—the inside flap of the album, which contains the credits, contact, and copyright information, is presented in a giant wall of all uppercase text. The font size, typeface, and colours of the text makes it difficult to read against the grey background. The text fares worse behind the plastic CD tray, where it looks blurry and scrunched together.
What this album really needed to remedy this issue is an insert or a booklet. Space was obviously an issue, attempting to cram as much text inside the digipak as possible, but a booklet would have alleviated this design flaw and even expanded on the physical release, perhaps accommodating lyrics and additional artwork. A concept album such as this needs to have a visual and physical component to really compliment it. Compared to the packaging of Awen’s prior album, The Bells Before Dawn, Grim King of the Ghosts is a step backward.
Despite the packaging faltering, the music itself is what stands out. The narrative and themes of Grim King of the Ghosts is conveyed succinctly with excellent music. This is a tight album, an accumulation of five years of labor, and the effort shows.
Label: Trisol – TRI659LP+CD Format: Vinyl, LP, Clear, 180 Gram + CD + All Media, Album, Limited Edition Country: Germany Released: Oct 4, 2019 Genre: Electronic Style: Neofolk
A-I Cyfraith Natur A-II Perversity Of Joy A-III Brigid The Dark, Brigid The Light - Vocals [Gaeilge] – Greg Elliott A-IV Englyn For Blodeuwedd A-V Hawthorn Rod A-VI In The Heart Of The Corpseknot - Vocals – b9 InViD
B-VII Morrigan B-VIII The Death Of Reynard - Vocals – Jerome Reuter B-IX The Hollow In The Stone B-X Ravenna B-XI I Am Stretched On Your Grave - Words By – Traditional; Words By [Arrangement] – Katrin X B-XII The Sickle And The Setting Sun B-XIII Cyfraith Dyn
Distributed By – Soulfood Music Distribution Pressed By – Optimal Media GmbH – BJ65015 Glass Mastered At – Optimal Media GmbH – AJ65017 Recorded At – The Portal Recorded At – Awen Manor
Composed By [Composition], Guitar, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Wes Radvansky Composed By [Composition], Keyboards, Percussion – Per Nilsson Engineer, Mixed By – Per Nilsson (2), Ray Exile Photography, Layout, Design – Erin Powell Producer – Awen (2), Per Nilsson Vocals, Composed By [Composition], Percussion, Shruti Box, Sampler [Sampling], Field Recording – Erin O'S Powell Vocals, Percussion, Sounds [Sickles] – Katrin X Words By – Erin O'Sullivan Powell (tracks: A-I to B-X, B-XII, B-XIII, CD-I to CD-X, CD-XII, CD-XIII)
Limited to 500 copies. LP comes in a cardboard sleeve with inner sleeve containing full lyrics. CD comes inside the outer LP sleeve, inside it's own separate cardboard sleeve.
Sticker on outer wrap states: Limited Edition 12" Vinyl+CD Special guest appearances by Jerome Reuter (Rome), B9 Invid, Greg Elliott
"Led by the stentorian voice of Erin Powell, sustained by the dulcet tones of Katrin X, and propelled by the delicate guitar work of Wes Radvansky, the album pushes and pulls in measures through avenues of melancholy and moments of horror, forcing the listener to become an active participant on the journey.
Archaic actions leave palpable impressions – ‘The Hollow In The Stone’.
Featuring guest appearances from Jerome Reuter (ROME), b9 InVid (ET NIHIL, LUFTWAFFE, THE MUSKETS), and Greg Elliott (DYING AND RISING)."
Label: Trisol - TRI705 Format: 17 x File, CD, Album Country: Germany Released: 29 Jan 2021 Genre: Electronic Style: Neofolk, Experimental
Tracklist
1. Patrick Leagas – Reincarnation 2:19 2. Ostara – Perversity Of Joy 2:08 3. Nachtmahr – The Sickle And The Setting Sun 3:15 4. David E. Williams – Cradle Spell 4:35 5. Murderous Vision – In The Heart Of The Corpseknot 3:19 6. Spiritual Front – Brigid The Dark, Brigid The Light 5:08 7. Church Ov Melkarth – The Humble Hempen Cord (Between Grief And Terror) 3:35 8. Beastianity – I Am Stretched On Your Grave 4:01 9. ANTIchildLEAGUE – Englyn For Blodeuwedd 4:25 10. Static Of Masses – Il Re Grigio Cupo 5:04 11. Patterson-Gimlin (featuring Thomas Cowgill) – The Death Of Reynard 4:35 12. Et Nihil – Hawthorn Rod 3:31 13. Boyd Rice – Ravenna 3:12 14. Samsas Traum – The Hollow In The Stone 3:50 15. Thomas Nöla – Morrigan 4:49 16. Void Prototype – Morrigan 5:03 17. Delphine Coma – Hawthorn Rod 5:03
Quote
Artists working in the genres of neofolk and post-industrial do not usually participate in ‘remixes’ of the kind found in other genres, but why not? After all, the community is relatively small, but at the same time creative and well-networked. So why not try a little experiment?
Erin Powell of AWEN decided to take the risk, and is proud to announce that 17 of his friends and associates responded to the challenge, producing remixes or covers of AWEN tracks. Just a load of remixes? Nope! ‘Reinterpretations’ would be a better word.
‘AWEN - Reincarnation’ features tracks from SPIRITUAL FRONT, BOYD RICE, NACHTMAHR, PATRICK LEAGAS and many more renowned artists. For instance, the contributions by the bittersweet, sarcastic OSTARA or the eternally unpredictable SAMSAS TRAUM go far beyond the scope of the originals, and are actually cover versions. The styles represented on ‘AWEN - Reincarnation’ span neofolk to death industrial, dance, experimental ambient and even black metal!
Released via TRISOL as a 4-panel digipak CD - the oddest AWEN release yet, but as necessary as the love of one’s friends!
1 Lonely Causeway 0:52 2 This World And Its Spirits 2:09 3 Ghost_1 0:10 4 Stoker 1:51 5 Ghost_2 0:18 6 Pain Is Part Of Everything Good 4:17 7 Ghost_3 0:17 8 Three Concrete Arches 4:36 9 The Predicates Of Procreation 2:44 10 Midnight Visitation 0:08 11 Leaden Life 2:34 12 Ghost_4 0:22 13 Devil Drives 3:23 14 Ghost_5 1:51 15 Threefold 3:05 16 Ghost_6 0:14 17 Illegitimi Non Carborundum 2:12 18 Ghost_7 0:17 19 Conversation With Death 5:33 20 Ghost_8 0:39 21 Terminus 2:54
Notes: Lim. Edition of 100 copies in bloodred colour. Comes with 2 stickers (1 gold & 1 silver) and al lyric sheet (mostly signed by the artists). Three versions exist - standard (this), in a wooden housing (lim.10) and in a wooden housing with TP (lim.5).
Erin Powell - vocals, oil drums, chain on steel plate, canes on oak flooring, copper rommelpot, dc motor, brass basilisk bell, coyote skull, singing bowl, sleigh bells, cymbals, sampling, Fuerst-Pless hunting horn, composition, photography, album cover drawing, lyric sheet callgraphy
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