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Uwe Nolte and Frank Machau deliver another dose of mature, reflective music which becomes hard to be placed under a single description or style. This album seems to trascend the neofolk tag applied to Orplid music in the past, so the band reach various depths through the songs here contained. The very first song leaves things clear: “Der Letzte Ikaride” starts with a pompous, martial ensemble sample, and then Uwe´s ultra deep voice caress the air with his dark storyteller tone, trademark of Orplid sound gleaming in the dark notes. Eerie female vocals courtesy of Sandra Fink easily ravish the spotlight in “Die Seherin”. Her work could remind Ataraxia´s Francesca Nicoli weirdest moments, though Sandra retains a more tragical interpretation. Evidently, that´s the strongest side of a fantastic song. Arabesques and programmed drums are the root in “Amils Abendgebet”; this one holds a sort of clinic-80´s sound to my taste which makes it monotonous and hard to digest. Yes, the programmed drums are often a bit annoying in tracks like this and “Erster Frost” and it becomes a down of the album.
There is a noticeable Dead Can Dance approach breathen throughout “Sterbender Satyr”: elements as electronica and ethnic instruments have a bigger presence in the songs so the sound of these Germans becomes more manifold than ever. The synths are still more ambient-like now, playing a relevant role in several passages. As for ethnic instruments, I could say they´re newcomers to the Orplid palette. Here I don´t feel 100% convinced, despite they fit most of the times in the sound. Overall, the sensations left on the listener aren´t only the typical ones from neofolk tunes –namely melancholy, nature´s call, evocative passages, solemnity. This time the mixture is quite varied to ellaborate a close description; that´s the reason why I used the Dead Can Dance comparison. This album may sound ethnic, ambient, neofolk, etc. Well, synth tracks as “Instrumental I” are just another detail which makes me remind Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard. The two sides of albums like this are clearly evident: the wide range of sounds makes difficult to love the whole album, since some people will enjoy the rather neofolk parts and others will feel prone on the ambient side.
“Sterbender Satyr” is definitely an opus that demands more time and dedication than “Nachtliche Jünger”. While the previous album gently slept on steady patterns, safe and warm, the new one tries to dare, creating a new shape of musical expression. Poetry and a wide sonic spectrum have joined again in the name of Orplid. A huge dose of courage and compromise blends with the cause of bewildered creativity. If I were asked about my personal vision, details as my rejection of electronica applied to drums will force me to tell you I´m not plenty fond of “Sterbender Satyr” as a whole, though the quality of several tracks is high. Taking into acccount my as-much-objective-as-you-can criteria, I must admit this album is awesome and brave, finely performed and clean. As usual, it´s up to the listener to decide, taste or dislike.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Der Letzte Ikaride |
| 2. Auf Deine Augen Senk Ich Schlummer |
| 3. Die Seherin |
| 4. Instrumental I |
| 5. Amils Abendgebet |
| 6. Erster Frost |
| 7. Gesang Der Quellnymphe |
| 8. Instrumental II |
| 9. Sang Am Abend |
| 10. Heimkehr |
| 11. Sterbender Satyr |
: 59.52
| Buy other Orplid albums |
