Empyrium_ - 1999 - _Where At Night The Wood Grouse Plays

Genre : Neofolk, Folk Metal, Folk, Doom Metal

Country : Germany

Format : MP3 192 Kbps

Size : 40036 KB

Released: 1999

No password

Covers included

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There are some albums that are meant to be experienced, while walking alone somewhere, out away from the sounds and lights of the city. In a certain sense alone on the roadside as the passing lights of cars, fade and are beckoned by the urban air of modern life. While this is certainly nostalgic statement and possibly even a romanticized viewpoint, I can honestly see it, as ideal circumstances for listening to “Where at night the wood grouse plays”. Call me a sucker for the songs of bards and lutes and flutes, but this album gets a hundred points for being simply beautiful music.I can’t get the whole image of the medieval bard out of my head, singing at a festival in some European country, recalling stories of the distant past. While this is certainly not a metal album by any means, for the past three years I’ve owned my copy, it’s always had the same becalming effect. For any music lover it’s an album I recommend dearly, and without much further ado, I’ll get to why it’s so simplistically effective. Empyrium however, sadly no longer exist to create the beautiful atmosphere present on this albumAs mentioned by the prior reviews the album is entirely acoustic in it’s performance, this is with the inclusion of lutes and flutes in the titletrack and “Many moons ago”. The entire pace of the album is noticeably very slow and melancholic, with the dissonant male vocals singing in a low pitch in the background. “The Shepherd and the Maiden ghost” best illustrates the effect of both vocalists, with the deeper vocalist whispering amid the acoustic picking. While the main complaint happens to be the lower pitched male vocalist, I can’t say he did any harm in my experience. The choral vocals in the background add for a very haunting effect, such as in “Wehmut” where the vocals chant and the lute faithfully chimes in with it’s light-hearted tone. I can certainly understand the frustration with the choral vocals, “When shadows grow longer” is probably the best example, but as mentioned, it is my opinion they only add to the somberness of the music.The natural elements of the album such as the wind on the titletrack, and the various lute interludes, make the album surreal. I cannot imagine the album without any of the elements subtracted from the equation, even the removal of the vocalists, would make the album less than it is. For standout tracks I recall “The Sad song of the wind”, the titletrack, and “Many moons ago” as being the most memorable. The other tracks are beautiful in their own right, with “A pastoral theme” being the most uplifting track mentioned.Empyrium orchestrates a very nostalgic and wistful atmosphere on this album, one that I have only recently experienced again in listening to the work of Drudkh. While it may not appease those craving extremity, it will certainly calm those who want an album to listen to, while wandering about in their respective country. I recommend it to anyone that adores acoustic music; or anyone that just wants to listen to something different.

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Track Listing

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1. Where at night the wood grouse plays

2. Dying brokenhearted

3. The shepherd and the maiden ghost

4. The sad song of the wind

5. Wehmut

6. A pastoral theme

7. Abendrot

8. Many moons ago...

9. When shadows grow longer

Total Time 32:27

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The Band
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Ulf Theodor Schwadorf [Markus Stock] (vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, mellotron, drums, percussion),

Thomas Helm (vocals, piano, keyboards),

Andreas Bach (synthesizer)

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Enjoy!