CoC : Nebelung - Mistelteinn : Review

Nebelung - _Mistelteinn_
(Eis & Licht, 2005)
by: Nikola Shahpazov (8 out of 10)

Neo folk, and its German subdivision in particular, has always been obsessed with the untamed beauty of deep woods and mountains, so all the forest imagery in Mistelteinn's cover art comes as little surprise. And indeed, _Nebelung_ sounds as natural as it gets, employing acoustic instruments exclusively to deliver five songs that would fit a cozy fireplace during a winter night perfectly. The music itself is simple, stripped to the very bone, yet effective and memorable. The backbone of all tracks is formed by the dual acoustic guitars and Stefan Otto's clean chants -- which tend to be good, though far from distinguishing. Additional instruments involved include accordion, flute and cello, making tracks like "Mistelteinn" and "Heimatlos" quite similar to the more widely known sound of neo folk masters Orplid and Forseti. Lyrical inspiration has been sought in the usual places: classic European poetry and philosophy, namely Charles Baudelaire, Friedrich Nietzsche and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. All in all, _Mistelteinn_ is an enjoyable album, lacking distinctive personality though it might be.

Contact: http://www.nebelung-musik.de

(article published 10/10/2005)