Title: Wer Wind Saet
Artist: Saltatio Mortis
Genre: Medieval / Fantasy / Metal
Release Date: 28th August 2009
Label: Napalm Records
Album Review
SALTATIO MORTIS - with a name that roughly translates to “Death Dance” you'd expect these guys to be hard, thrashy and heavy with not a melody in sight. Instead you are treated to one of the most elaborate and complex of bands, who delicately balance the need for a hard driving sound you can get your teeth into with gentler elements of the medieval and fantasy worlds. They are prolific performers and recorders of albums having already recorded seven excellent CDs. There is no compromise of quantity over quality with these gentlemen originally from Mannheim, and they have a really giant sound which is captured well here in their eighth album.
‘Ebenbild’ is the opening track and one which I was already familiar with, since it has an excellent video to accompany it which I have already checked out. The whole album has a clean hard sound to it and ‘Ebenbild’ kicks it off perfectly with sinister lyrics and a driving demanding chorus. Second song ‘Salome’ inflects elements of eastern music into the proceedings, and this track has really grown on me. ‘La Jument De Michao’ is flawlessly sung and is now turning out as one of my favourites from the whole album. It has a very light feeling to it initially and then fast, driving lyrics invade to make it a really interesting contradiction of a song, really great. Next one ‘Letzte Worte’ is a quieter and hauntingly beautiful piece of work, the sort of thing you can listen to at any time and never get sick of because it's just so emotive, melodic and soul searching.
‘Kaltes Herz’ ups the tempo again to give another of my favourite tracks which is ‘Rastlos’ that is far more metal from the off, starting off with grinding heavy guitar riffs and crazy pipe work whilst never losing the fact that these guys are real musicians, and keeping a high energy and tuneful sound throughout. Coming next is ‘Mistuek’ which is another driving track, again with large elements of metal guitar interspersed with the ever present pipes which make for this band's unique sound. Following ‘Tief in Mir’ starts with probably the most singable tune on the whole album as an introduction and then continues with startling and sinister vocals from Alea culminating in a harsh demanding chorus which I guarantee will stick in your head.
‘Aus Träumen gebaut’ then tones the whole process down with another soulful, gentle offering giving everyone concerned a chance to show off their prowess as musicians and especially a mention should go to the sheer emotionality that the lead singer manages to convey with his voice. Beautiful! ‘Manus Manum Lavat’ is another slower song initially but then soon incorporates the strong driving demanding sound we have come to associate with SALTATIO MORTIS. ‘Vergessene Götter’ is by far the most traditional sounding track on the album and is a real foot tapper and ideal if you like twirling round your lounge dancing to medieval rock music, (I know I do) although the vocals do lend it a far more contemporary air, it's sheer energy is really infectious. The final track, ‘Wir säen den Wind’, is another signature melodic medieval rock song that is at once threatening and very singable.
The whole album is a great success, the sound well produced, the track listing carefully selected balancing exactly the right amount of gentler tracks with the more harsh demanding sounds that leave you deciding to play it all again. With material like this released it's no wonder that SALTATIO MORTIS are growing daily in popularity, and it's nice to see that they can capture the sheer energy of their live performances in the studio.
Tracklist
01. Ebenbild
02. Salome
03. La Jument De Michao
04. Letzte Worte
05. Kaltes Herz
06. Rastlos
07. Miststück
08. Tief In Mir
09. Aus Träumen Gebaut
10. Manus Manum Lavat
11. Vergessene Götter
12. Wir Säen Den Wind
Bonus tracks:
13. Freiheit
14. In Unseren Worten
Bonus DVD (limited edition):
* Live at M'era Luna 2008
* Videoclip "Ebenbild"
* Making of "Ebenbild"
* Making of "Wer Wind Sät" Album
Line-up
Alea der Bescheidene - vocals, bagpipes, shawm
Bruder Frank - bass, percussions
El Silbador - bagpipes, shawm
Falk Irmenfried von Hasen-Mümmelstein - bagpipes, shawm, hurdy-gurdy, vocals
Lasterbalk der Lästerliche - davul, drums, percussion, kettledrum, programming
Samoel - guitar, lute, cittern
Website
http://www.saltatio-mortis.com/index.php / http://www.myspace.com/mittelalterpunk
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9.5 / 10
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