KYN – Earendel
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Today I have something different than usual. No metal, no rock. The Italian-Swiss-German band plays folk music. On classical folklore instruments, such as bagpipe, jambe, flute. In the cast one can find many familiar names. Musicians who are also active in rock / folk rock or metal bands. That sounds very interesting. And why should a Metalhead not even think outside the box. So I listened to the album a little closer.
“Kamprab” sounds like an overly long intro. But it is not. In this song, there is no singing in the true sense, but melodically varied vocalises. Above all, frontwoman Ida Elena can convince vocally here. These will later be accompanied by percussion. After that, strings begin. A Celtic procession around the campfire? And then the title song “Kyn” starts with vocalises. But later this is a typical folk-rock song, as it could have come from the pen of Blackmore’s Night. Since you want to get up and dance. The entire folkloric instrumentation is used here, fiddles, flutes / horns, guitars, drums, bagpipes. At “La Leggenda Di Colapesce”, the beautiful bard sings in her mother tongue, Italian. The sound is inspired by the folklore of the Middle Ages. And the lyrics are multilingual. In between you can hear German-speaking singing. But Norse mythology is represented on the album as well. At “Yggdrasil” the world ash is sung. The world tree that should embody the entire cosmos. The penultimate song of the album, the Swedish ballad “Herr Mannelig”, I have already heard in different versions, sometimes rocking, sometimes lifted into heavy metal. But the version of KYN is very independent. At first, instrumentation and vocals seem to be inspired by the original. Later, however, slightly industrial-sounding keyboards can be heard. The highlight for me is the final song “Fata Morgana”. Seagulls and sea-smells at the beginning, then a subtle instrumental accompaniment of the beautiful singing of Ida Elena. The whole thing sounds very yearning. And the singer changes again to her mother tongue.
KYN walk on a very fine line with their debut album. On the one hand they are very concerned about authenticity. There are a lot of historical instruments used. The melodies are mostly based on medieval and Celtic melodies. On the other hand, the possibilities of modern recording studios are also used. This gives the individual songs a voluminous sound. From my point of view, the band manages the symbiosis of old and new for the most part well. “Earendel” is a worth listening album. Anyone who wants to suppress the everyday life, should listen here.
Kyn – Fata Morgana: https://youtu.be/7uXX-_aJl6o
Lineup:
Ida Elena de Razza – Vocals, Guitar, Jambe, Bodhran, Darabuka
Albert Dannenmann – Hurdy-Gurdy, Bagpipe, Renaissance Wood Instruments, Flute, Low Whistle, Voice
Gino Hohl Bock, Shalmei, Electronic Bagpipe, Guitar, Davul, Darabuka, Voice, Sequences
Anja Novotny Medieval Bagpipe, Hümmelchen, Highland Bagpipe, Irish Tin, Low Whistle, Silver Flute, Guitar, Keyboard, Backing Vocals.
Dirk Kilian Bouzouki, Nichelharpa, Oud, Wood Whistle,Duduk, Bulgarian Gaita, Schäferpfeife, Medieval Bagpipe, Sitar, Citola. Voice.
Heiko Gläser Drums, Davul, Jambe, Backing Vocals
Label: Blackdown Music
Out: November 11th, 2019
Playing time: 31:02
Track list:
- Kamprab
- Kyn
- La Leggenda Di Colapesce
- Yggdrasil
- Amor Lontano
- Sang Til Jomfru Maria
- Herr Mannelig
- Fata Morgana
Rating : 8/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
