Precht
V.A. : Wilde Jaeger (=wild hunters) (Ö/D,2007)***°°
First of all I must say that this digipack looks impressive, with its artwork and photographs of Austrian, often devilish folkloristic masks. (I hope that such a collection will make all the illegal downloaders miss this too much). The booklet also introduces an upcoming bilingual (German/English) book on Alpine myths and their masks, “Men, masks & myth”. And also this double album reveals something of this world with several often dark faces, roots and branches. Especially the first CD expresses the darkest ritualistic contexts themselves. The Svrarrogh, Werkraum and Sangre Cavallum tracks sound together as if expressed by one group, as different parts of the same dark soundtrack of such nights. They show most the essence behind the Austrian master mind behind the label, Max Percht, as powerful stuff that reveals a hidden nature associated with these Alps myths and experiences surviving over the centuries. Also the next track fit well, in different aspects. A Minority Of One’s track sounds more like a dream vision, including snoring sounds, a bit more experimental and moody. The next few tracks still fit well but have less of that spatial, be-there outdoor experience, are more of an urban podium interpretation of what inspired in that area. Allerseelen’s track is a wilder madness dance, a bit long, Heiliges Licht sounds more industrial in sound while it still keeps a nature/natural feeling inside. Waldteufel’s track used a distorted hard rock guitar element but luckily also kept an acoustic association. The 11th track, by Ernte seems to have been picked out of a real folklore context, where children announce some demonic figure, and acoustic rhythms increase that tension, followed by Teatro Satanico’s own new folkloristic idea for urban measures.
The second CD much more is a collection of songs and memories, often more acoustic and with spoken word, memories of legends. I like of course again Sturmpercht’s song inspiration. Weird again is Elli Riehl’s “Wildes Kraut” with metallic guitars to introduce a daemonic spoken word voice telling about powerful plants, for the hunters. Jägerblut’s track works like a moody instrumental intermezzo, before more spoken word tracks bring other stories closer. Also the 11th track of the second CD seems to be a more original folk inspiration, a story with spoken word and music, including some yodelling. Last track by Thelema brings the classic “Ave Maria” (Schubert), as a Christian context into a transformation when bringing it into the Alpes and mountains, harmonic cowbells and not mentioned mountain singing/yodelling both much more linger on in mind as a true essence and nature expressing something that can hardly ever be wiped out from its environment.
A very good compilation, an experience that the neglected book format can not provide. This will help very much the imagination to make an association with this whole area, to a richer, deeper experience, also from its neglected darker animistic nature.
PS. The double CD now is also released as a wooden boxset with digipack with 24-page inside, with and a 19 minute bonus 3"CD - lim. 500 copies / Percht 10 lim.edt. with 7 exclusive songs. (See picture)
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