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German neo-folk band Hekate was founded in 1991 and so was one of the first bands of this genre. In 1994 their first album Sanctuary was released, now their new album Die Welt der dunklen Gärten is available. Their fans will be happy that the waiting is over, it took them 7 years to present Die Welt der dunklen Gärten.
The opener is called Byronic Hero and is a minimalistic tune with spoken words. Singer Axel Menzer recited the words of Lord Byron's When We Two Parted poem which was written in 1808. Then they take you onto a trip into Jardin d' Anaïs which features Susanne Grosche vocals. The French lyrics fit well to this tune which are partly spoken. In the background a marching drum the song is dominated by accordion and strings and on top Susanne's vocals. With In My Garden they change direction, a slightly psychedelic tune with hypnotic synthesizer and drumming. Additionally Axel and Susanne add their voices, even if Susanne mainly stays in the background. Especially the whispered words create a special atmosphere. For Seelenreise they switch to German, this time Susanne takes over the lead part. A melancholy sonic journey.
Next in line Sanctus, an epic, dark tune. With Die dunkle Wolke they offer a tune which is inspired by medieval sounds incl. bagpipe. The instrumental Per aspera ad astra is combining music with nature sounds, and with the layout they pay tribute to Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach and his Per Aspera Ad Astra. With Idilia Dubb they present another tune which could be the sound track of a horror movie. In this case the lyrics are based on a legend from Coblenz, the home town of Hekate. For a brief moment this reminded me of The Vision Bleak... Due to the bagpipe the atmosphere changes a bit and the tune gets a folk-ish touch. The title tack Oh du Welt der dunklen Gärten is a beautiful tune sung by Susanne. Even if the lyrics have a dark edge the tune sounds light... airy. A minimalistic melancholy track is Opportunity Of Time, but at the same time enchanting. After Alex singing that one it's time for Susanne to take over again. She sings The Present Day, a song which has a Celtic touch and reminds me slightly of Clannad... With Die blaue Blume they offer a light tune with a medieval touch - at the first half -, lyrically based on Hermann Löns' Wegewarte. Half way through the track the atmosphere changes, the track gets heavier and darker - for a bit. They switch back and forth, a roller coaster ride. The closer is called House Of God and is lyrically based on the 2nd verse of Liber al vel Legis by Aleister Crowley. A melancholy tune which closes the chapter.
Die Welt der dunklen Gärten is a conceptual album which offers different sounds which are connected by the lyrics. Hekate take you onto an emotional journey with their latest album. Be prepared!
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