SPLINTERSKIN

"Wayward Souls"

Cold Spring - 2009

CD

Music conceived in isolation and solitude, voluntary exiliated in the remotest depths of North American forests, where another strange entity known as Waldteufel dwells. Splinterskin, a strange and slightly disturbing figure, a cross between a demonic homeless and a woodlands watcher, reveals his existence with an extensive compendium of acoustic stories, recorded between 2006 and 2008 in Oregon and Ohio. "Wayward Souls" must not be approached like a neofolk album, because the music here presented has absolutely nothing to do with that genre: the simple acoustic sound, conjured by an old guitar and, occasionally, violin, is that of a 19th Century storyteller, narrating about the scary legends of wild lands and past times.

The atmosphere is decaying, dusty and mournful, portraying images of cursed characters, doomed adventurers and supernatural creatures, while a cold, endless rain pours down, echoes from the forest and laments of animals suggest the presence of something we would prefer not to deal with. Vocals are eerie, sound like those of an old loner, or of an elemental wandering through the dark woods, warning human intruders to stay away from there at night.

Splinterskin's debut is an interesting listening experience, a haunting journey that won't fail to fascinate different kind of listeners. The only turn off of "Wayward Souls" is represented by the high number of songs, seventeen, making the CD sound a bit repetitive after a while, since there's no significant variation in the sound between them. Anyway, we're definitely in front of something different and intriguing in a scene constantly at risk of stagnation. Give it a listen.

- Simon V.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/splinterskin