Dies Natalis

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一支德国新民谣乐队，这两天随便听了几张专辑，觉得不是那种很传统的新民谣乐队，甚至感觉做的有点indie，但还算不错，至少从旋律编排和配器上！

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It was quiet for a while around Dies Natalis. But earlier this year the German neo-folk formation surprisingly returned with the solid mini-cd "Abyss". Now this is followed by a full-length album. This proves again that not only the line-up but also the sound of the band has changed quite a bit since their early releases. The heroic, martial aspects are almost gone. The album is dominated by romantic acoustic ballads. Most music and (mostly English) lyrics are written by Tobias Strahl. It depends on my mood how I appreciate "Tristan". At times I find everything a bit too sweet and soft, at other times I can be moved. The compositions are quite simple, the instrument playing not very special and the (male) singing not particularly skilled. Nevertheless the music of Dies Natalis is often quite effective. I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps it's the enthousiasm and passion of the band. They give the music a warm, honest feeling.

The "rolog' is a minimal piano piece, with German spoken word and the sounds of the sea, reminding me of Goethes Erben and other classic darkwave acts. It is followed by 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti', which features soft female vocals by new member Susanne, who is a very good asset for Dies Natalis, she gives an extra dimension to their music. A few songs are really too sweet and poppy for me, like 'Anabell'. 'The time' then again sounds more cheerful, making you move slowly back and forth. A nostalgic ballad is 'Time goes on', whith nice multiple voices and a cello. There are only a few more bombastic moments on the album, like the powerful song 'Angels of Babylon'. "Tristan" is an album full of neo-folk ballads, acoustic guitars, soft percussion and male and female voices. Perhaps you can call it campfire music, acoustic pop or traditional folk, Dies Natalis has left the traditional 'neo-folk' sound. A solid album, if you appreciate emotional 'unpretentious' songs and fragile romantic ballads.  

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I'm pleased to see that Dies Natalis are back with four new tracks. There has been some confusion whether this band was still alive or not. I have seen announcements that they would quit, and I even read that this "Abyss" mini cd would be their swansong. But apparently they have found new energy to continue. The line-up has changed a bit (W.A.R. is no longer part of the band) and new concerts have been announced. At the time of writing this review the Dies Natalis website is under construction, perhaps it needs to be refreshed to reflect the new era in their career.

"Abyss" is their third release, after their breakthrough 10" "Raunen" and their 2001 album "Vom Gedanken... und der Erinnerung". The cd comes in a fold-out booklet, with some nice black & white nature photographs. The music starts with a classical intro, romantic and moody, with the sound of the sea in the background. After a minute and a half an acoustic guitar is introduced, and some soft almost spoken vocals, reminding me somewhat of Darkwood. As the song evolves we are treated to a surprising refrain, with several voices and percussion. Dies Natalis have also been of the most accessible neo-folk groups, and they prove again that they can write a catchy melody.

'The past dies in a crime' is an intimate sober ballad, consisting mostly of guitar and vocals, which are alternately sung and whispered. Again this song has a more uptempo, enthousiastic refrain, with energetic singing (the line 'The past dies in a crime' is repeated over and over again) and a flute melody. 'From dusk to dawn' starts lovely, with guitar and melancholic strings. The song expresses longing and melancholy, it's a nice tune to sing at the campfire. The final track 'Lunan' is centered around a German text, which is spoken, nicely accompanied by acoustic guitars.

As usual the songs of Dies Natalis are quite simple, and the instruments and vocals do not demonstrate exceptional skills. But they make up for that with sincere enthousiasm and passion, which make these new songs very pleasant to listen to and a convincing come-back. I hope to be able to witness them live soon, because then Dies Natalis is at its best.
'All the days will end, and begin again'.

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The debut of a new talented German neo-folk band, with 3 songs on a 10", released by Eis & Licht. The openings song, 'Rain', sounds heroic and goves you the urge to sing along. Then comes 'Deine hand zu halten', a nice melancholic song of which the text is printed on the insert sleeve. Side B is reserved for one long, desperate romantic piece called 'We Stand', about a lost love. A remarkable, impressive song. I only wonder if it wouldn't be better if it was sung in German. Anyway, this 10" will give Dies Natalis a prominent place on the neofolk-map. The songs 'Rain' and 'We stand' are later also included on their debut album, but for some reason I prefer how they sound on this 10', a bit more 'kraftvoll'.

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This new German neo-folk band made a good impression on me with their 10" Raunen, released on the Eis & Licht label, which is almost a guarantee for quality (see vinyl reviews). Of that record two great tracks are present here: 'Rain' and 'We stand', though for some reason they seemed to sound better on the record. Although Dies Natalis is known to play folk songs, they also use quite a lot of synthesizers on this record, like on the instrumental openings track. On a few songs darkwave influences can be spotted.

This record sounds a bit less powerful than their concerts, partly because the production could be better, partly because this record contains a varied range of styles, which I don't mean to be a criticism. The record sounds spontaneous, as if it was recorded rather quickly, without polishing too much in the studio, which gives it a certain charm. A few highlights, apart from the above mentioned songs: 'Der Stein weit im Korn' a beautiful slow song with an eruption at the end, 'Thunderdoor', a heroic folksong, and 'The Drummer walks in Storm', which contains martial drumming, a nice synthesizer layer, and powerful singing with two voices.