Twa Corbies
The Clamouring

THE REVIEW

An intriguing collaboration is released between two pillars of neo-folk: the great Tony Wakeford, founder of the legendary Sol Invictus, and the German Gernot Musch, former Pilori and :Golgatha:, essential and important names. The duo is called Twa Corbies and on the very gothic and refined cover, we can indeed see depicted two ravens of "poetical" memory. The album, titled "The Clamouring", is a sort of backward journey into the sounds and culture of neo-folk and serves as a compendium. Throughout the 11 tracks of "The Clamouring", one's memory repeatedly goes to the classics of Sol Invictus, Current 93, and Death In June. The sound is deliberately sparse and essential, almost as if the intent was to go to the unspoiled roots of folk. The two only relied on the help of Patrick Damiani from Rome during the mixing phase.

The writing shows its promise right from the initial anthem "Is There A Heaven?". The following "The Tower Of Babylondon" is a ballad that awakens ancient ancestral secrets. "A Fool In April" is majestic and imposing, in the finest tradition of Sol Invictus, truly a great track that demonstrates how Wakeford's creativity is far from depleted. In the melancholic "See-Saw", we find strings accompanying the acoustic guitar, while "Dresden Heather Song", composed by G. Musch, is a little classic of the genre. "Dark And Drublie Days", again penned by Wakeford, moved me and brought to mind the splendors of an album like "In The Rain". "She Descends" is delicate and evokes autumnal landscapes. "No Bosses" is another rough and effective ballad. The album ends in a gloomy way with the sad and spectral "Laughing".

"The Clamouring" is a true surprise and an album of absolute significance, the likes of which I haven't heard in the neo-folk realm for a long time. It sounds like one of the old – and best – Sol Invictus, and I strongly recommend it not only to those who follow neo-folk. In addition to the CD, a limited edition vinyl version of 250 copies is also being released. The distribution is handled by Tesco.