Moriquendi – ‘From depths to the stars’ (EP 2023)
Rating: 7/10
Release: 18 September 2023
Label: Independent
Moriquendi, a small group from France, has recently released a new acoustic EP, thus marking their return after a seven-year hiatus, with their last work being a blackened folk metal album called “Kanopëa”. Now they have left their metal roots and officially turned into a neofolk project. In addition, the band has also undergone a change in its lineup, with two members now forming a duo, as opposed to being a one-man band as they were in the past.
The following EP features songs about a lost memory and farewell, starting from more joyful thoughts (strange, the EP’s name “From Depths To The Stars” would’ve suggested the opposite, but let’s go ahead) such with the song “Woods Runner”, previously released as a single with a video clip. Such musical approach immediately reminds me of the more known Goblin Hovel and their album Loveless, Loreless, Lost which features similar sonorities as well as moods on the same wavelength. Differently from the goblins, the French EP features a good usage of violins here and there throughout the song, that, amongst slight synth layers and a leading acoustic guitar, carry on the voyage through the various emotions of all 24 minutes of music, getting slower the nearest it gets to the end.
Another aspect worth noting is the multiple vocal lines built into different layers, merged together to give the right mood of epicness and deepness. A fine example could be the song “Where Only Some Can Go” which is the slowest song and starts with just a voice and a guitar but near the second half features vocals combined with bitter background choirs, giving the listener an intense nostalgic taste. Simple, but effective.
Being their first approach to the world of neofolk, there is some great potential here. One shall be listening to this work with the right state of mind, so next time you find yourself alone reflecting on where your lifetime journey is getting, give this a try and you may find some apprehension.
Tracklist
- Im Nebel 02:36
- On The Cliff’s Top 06:38
- Woods Runner 03:48
- From Depths To The Stars 03:23
- Where Only Some Can Go 04:42
- Die Letzte Reise 02:58