Estatic Fear
A Sombre Dance

Ten stops...

Ten stages for a total immersion in an idyllic scenario, where we can feel an integral part of Nature. A fairy universe, where reality and fiction inexorably blend. All this is possible through the listening of "A Sombre Dance" by the Austrian Estatic Fear, a combo whose traces were prematurely lost. Released in 1999, it contains music that is anything but ordinary.

The core of the project revolves around the figure of Matthias Kogler, who handles the guitar (both acoustic and electric), the piano, and above all the songwriting. His musical creation materializes in a hypothetical meeting between Doom Metal with its leaden and nebulous vibe, and folk and classical segments. The latter are created with the contribution of instruments like the lute, viola, cello, organ, and especially the flute, often unjustly neglected in Metal in favor of more celebrated colleagues (strings), but finally finds the space and importance it deserves here. The vocal parts sung by Claudia Schöftner, endowed with a crystalline and gentle timbre, blend amiably with those of Jürgen Lalik, who, equipped with a growl almost whispered comparable to a distant echo, never takes the lead, leaving the female voice as the protagonist.

The result is something stunning in its beauty: a dance impossible to stop, where medieval components emerge strongly enrich the compositions. A walking and lulling symphony that knows no concepts like haste and speed. A whirlwind of feelings admirable in its ability to alternate between two diametrically opposed interpretations: glimpses of extreme ecstasy and bliss coexist with moments of tortured and desperate darkness. However, no aspect overshadows another, and we are faced with a perfect symbiosis, certainly not trapped in a pre-established scheme.

"Intro (Unisono Lute Instrumental)" serves as the preamble to the dreamlike fresco branded Estatic Fear. A nostalgic bittersweet aftertaste dominates the first part of the instrumental, eventually replaced by the apotheosis of disillusionment. Even "Charter I" is introduced by a lute, to which synths timidly join. The track is hypnotic for its entire length and is a constant alternation between Claudia, who gives a narrative accent to her interpretation, and the guitars, which constantly weave melodies embodying the desire to envelop and transport us to entirely different realities. The patter of rain, the caressing and delicate flute notes, the piano as the protagonist of a sinuous interpretation. Nothing better to impress with the autumnal magic of "Chapter II". But the gray winter peeks in: a monolithic guitar wall and a biting and gloomy growl that chills the limbs. We still travel on superlative quality rails with the seemingly sparse and essential "Charter III", which actually bewitches with its passionate, warm, "alive" strength. "Chapter IV" is surely the Jewel par excellence, the most significant in structure and intensity: everyone has their moment of fervent protagonism, with a consequential change in moods and atmospheres: but the absolute climax is reached by the Flute, overflowing with melancholy and endowed with an arcane charm.

"Chapter V" shines with its own light: a slow and calm March, where moments of unheard drama are not lacking thanks to its profound enchanting essence. "Chapter VI" literally gives chills: it sees only the presence of the growl and is capable of casting a shroud of bitterness, of torment. Bleak as a New Moon night, yet it doesn't forgo some slivers of hope, especially towards the conclusion. "Chapter VII" is the second piece only instrumental. Surrounded by two classical guitars and delirious effects, it can be considered in line with the rest of the material. "Chapter VII" flows by beautifully: the group was phenomenal in transmitting at times a feeling of sacred mysticism, at times impulses of surreal calm. Finally, "Chapter IX" has the daring task of closing the dance. A dark litany that synthesizes and highlights the classic and poignant imaginative sound that we have so appreciated throughout the full-length.

The Musicians are reduced to a single body to gift us with crystalline dew of inalterable value, dazzling polyphony of innate depth. Simply pure and eternal art, that touches the strings of the soul of those who listen to it.

An open-eyed dream, an impossible return.