Title: Persona non Grata
Artist: Schelmish
Genre: Medieval Metal / Folk / Celtic
Release Date: 7th May 2010
Label: Self Released
Album Review
Thumping Arabic drums and wonderful eastern melodies introduce us to this album, SCHELMISH's ninth. 'Illuminatio' comes next with traditional bagpipes and drums that are at once Celtic and still heavy enough for most rock bands.'Lux lucet in Tenebris' follows on with insistent rhythms; a swaying melodic track laden with counter melodies. 'Abends wenn die Fremden beten' is more of the heavy Celtic sounding backing, this time with almost Russian sounding chanting singing. It’s a strong and beautiful track, rich in emotion and perfectly played. 'Via Sacra' on the other hand is gentler, but no less intense in style and is another quality track.
'Vasilis tanz der Voler' is a masterpiece in modal beauty, subtle and obsessive whilst 'Non de falsis argumentis' is even more so, the same tune overlaying endless converse layers of music and sound. The eighth track 'Aurora' is tender and beautiful, string harmonics, harps and gorgeous violins telling an all too brief story and this track show SCHELMISH for the excellent musicians that they are. 'Musicipulem' is back to the more frantic sounds of the first half of the album, no less precise and articulate than before, really something to get your feet tapping there. 'Candida Hora' is another gentler track and good though this group is when they play their faster stuff, the softer, slower tracks are so sublimely put together that it makes me wish there were more.
And I'm pleasantly surprised at what comes next for 'Ouwe war' is another more placid track, still strong but with an infinitely softer tone than many of the earlier tracks and really, really lovely vocals. 'Cest la vie' has a jagged rhythm and plenty of pipes to keep even the most stalwart medieval fan happy, being loud and proudly middle ages. 'Luna Pernocte' has a style not unlike 'The lonesome boatman' by Finbarr Fury and it's easy to pick up on the band's early Celtic roots with this track which is one of the best on the album. The live track 'Salterello 6661/2' gives you an idea of exactly how energetic and well received SCHELMISH are live.
And so to what for me is the finest track on the album, the title 'Persona non Grata'. It's a master class in (nearly) unaccompanied singing to start with, falling effortlessly into one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I've ever heard, in parts discordant and unexpected but always beautifully sung and played. It's fantastic. Crows call in the final track 'Quo Vadis' with a death knell sounding across their cries to welcome a soft, sad melody with drums flutes and pipes. It's a lovely ending to a great album and one which I'm sure I'll find myself listening to again and again.
Tracklist
01. Intro
02. Illuminatio
03. Lux lucet in tenebris
04. Abends wenn die Fremden beten
05. Via sacra
06. Vasilis, Tanz der Völker
07. Non de falsis argumentis
08. Aurora 09. Muscipulum
10. Candita hora
11. Ouwe war
12. C'est la vie
13. Luna pernocte
14. Saltarello
15. Persona non grata
16. Quo vadis
Line-up
Dextro - Bagpipes, Shawm, Guitars, Cittern, Vocals
Rimsbold - Vocals, Bagpipes, Shawm
DesDemonia - Bagpipes, Shawm, Bouzouki, Vocals
Luzi - Bagpipes, Shawm, Bouzouki
Samtron - Drums, Percussion
Daniel San - Guitars, 12-string Guitars, Bouzouki, Vocals
Der Hai - Bass
Picus von Corvin - Keyboard, Synthesizer, Dahol (Drum), Percussion, Vocals
Website
http://www.schelmish.de / http://www.myspace.com/schelmishband
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9 / 10
{jos_sb_discuss:19}
Comments powered by CComment