Artist: Saltatio Mortis
Label: Napalm Records
Release: 2009
Running time: 52:03
Rating: 4/5
Saltatio Mortis (Slovenian for “dance of death”), those busy-as-bees, hard-working torchbearers of medieval folk metal, which makes up a special musical chapter familiar to anyone following bands like In Extremo, Corvus Corax (Slovenian for “raven”), Schandmaul and Subway To Sally too, haven’t forgotten their loyal fans and keep delighting them with regular releases! Their latest, “Wer Wind Saet”, is yet another continuation of the established manner and tradition, I’d even say the expected rhythm of the band’s biorhythm. Alongside In Extremo, they’re one of the most prominent, typical representatives who helped shape this style, one that’s unique to bands coming from Germany.
“Wer Wind Saet” doesn’t stray far from its predecessors “Des Königs Henker” (2005) or “Aus der Asche” (2007), and as the band’s seventh studio album overall, it faithfully keeps the message of its older siblings. With one difference, of course: in terms of composition the band is only getting better with age, offering even more convincing cohesion and delighting with excellent production that masterfully sets off some deliberately opposed, contrasting feelings of theatrical, tragic atmosphere. That will go down well with everyone who gets how naturally the German language fits into the epic, hymn-like chants of medieval melody, decorated with a finely tuned dialogue among a choir of ancient, “extinct” instruments whose memory hasn’t faded through being immortalized in woodcuts. Good morning, troubadours!
On the new album, too, Saltatio Mortis subordinate all their musical understanding to crafted tunes and to getting the best out of the melody in the chosen lead motifs, which of course hold a completely unique place in their sermon. A place of message you can only love or hate. The energy is melancholic, a cold gust will surround you the whole way through, as you wander through dark caverns or roam an autumn forest wrapped in fog and the longing frost of fallen leaves. There’s no middle ground. So if you’re a fan of this strain of metal, you’ve already got “Wer Wind Saet” in your collection at home, and if not, consider it an obligation. Everyone else? Hands off!
The spirit, the core, the essence of Saltatio Mortis is clear on the new album too. No beating around the bush, left or right. The guys stick diligently to the tried-and-tested formula and successfully resist the danger of forced self-parody that they could have fallen into with some potential “copy-paste” moves. Within the template-like framing that defines their genre expression, they manage to keep enough room to express themselves throughout, convincing us even over 12 tracks that something you may have already heard and tested can be served up again in a tasty, fresh and juicy way, without the aftertaste of reheated old “soup”. So the new songs have expressive variability, and “Wer Wind Saet” itself has an inherently pleasing and lovely dynamic flow of the expressive variety it calls for. The metal riffs are dressed in production-wise semi-acoustic arrangements with a colorful palette of instruments of medieval exoticism, commanded by a sharp, mid-to-low-pitched male vocal. That won’t sound familiar only to fans of In Extremo’s music, but to the whole crowd from planet Rammstein too. The production is lively and “In Extremo-esque”, which you could guess from the fact that the album’s producer is In Extremo member Thomas Heimann-Trosien, before you even hit “play” on your CD player. In short, Saltatio Mortis are extremely careful about their work, as they demand the best possible return on the energy they put into it.
“Wer Wind Saet” is a triumphant continuation of the path they’ve laid out, a great new studio album from seasoned old hands, fully credible in its roots, which in terms of melodic figuration gets under your skin right away. The fan favorite remains the German verses, which, frankly, remain an important trademark not just of “Wer Wind Saet” and Saltatio Mortis, but of the whole genre.
Lineup
Alea der Bescheidene – vocals, guitar, bagpipes, “didgeridoo”
Samoel – guitar, zither
Falk Irmenfried v. Hasen-Mummelstein – bagpipes, “hurdy-gurdy”, “shawm”
El Silbador – bagpipes, “shawm”, “binjou”
Bruder Frank – bass guitar, “Chapman stick”
Lasterbalk der Lasterliche – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Doro Pesch – vocals on track 2
Julia Vukelic – vocals on tracks 2 and 8
Michael Popp – “lafta” on track 2
Cordoban der Verspielte – whistle on tracks 3 and 4
Production
Thomas Heimann-Trosien
Track list
1. Ebenbild (5:14)
2. Salome (5:00)
3. La Jument de Michao (3:31)
4. Letzte Worte (4:30)
5. Das kalte Herz (3:58)
6. Rastlos (4:02)
7. Miststück (4:25)
8. Tief in mir (4:28)
9. Aus Träumen gebaut (4:47)
10. Manus Manum Lavat (3:44)
11. Vergessene Götter (3:47)
12. Wir säen den Wind (4:31)
