Of The Wand & The Moon - The Lone Descent (2011)

There is one album from the last year which the crew of Brutal Resonance had passed by, and I don't understand how this could happen. This record definitely is a thing to write about. There were a lot of reviews written and posted, a lot of words had been said, but here I would like to add my opinion as well, because this CD have not left my CD-player for quite a while.

:Of The Wand and The Moon: is the band that doesn't need too much introduction. Being active since 1999, the fruit of able mind of Kim Larsen, it has a rich resume of entertaining albums which already became a "must-to-have" for all Neofolk fans. Despite the productivity during few
years, there was nothing new from Kim since 2005. And I am sure that everybody was hungry for the new material knowing the huge potential of :Of The Wand and The Moon:. So, here it is, the album called 'The Lone Descent', it entered my home one autumn day and captured my heart from the very start.

After listening to dozens and dozens of copycats and so called neofolkers of a new wave, this masterpiece comes as inhalation of fresh air, like a portion of clean water for the body dried by hot wind of a desert. I had been optimistic about this upcoming album of Kim, but the result was beyond my deepest desires and expectations.

It is hard to accept this CD for easy listening or relaxation evening with a glass of wine. The album is very complex and personally oriented work. It touches the hidden strings inside each soul and talks about the deepest personal emotions. The melody in each song is very structured and layered with lots of different kinds of instrumentation, guitars, cymbals, violins, piano etc. Kim's gentle voice floats over all this structure and the fluid of his words brings long forgotten memories back to life, the cinematic vision into the origin of love and hate, betrayal and death, the serenades to life in all its manifestations. The sadness and grief sounds are carved into the lines, the poetry of loss and tragedy is brought here in full emotional waterfall.