Various Artists - Whom The Moon A Nightsong Sings

Empyrium has long been considered one of the more underrated bands.  Going from their folk/doom metal roots in their early days to their more dark neofolk stylings of their later years before splitting up (they have since reformed), they have an influence on other bands that few others enjoy.  What better way to pay tribute to a band like Empyrium than to put out a tribute album in When the Moon a Nightsong Sings.  Songs from bands of both the doom and neofolk styles are featured on the album, all of which offer a nice retrospective of the band’s career.

The tribute album features the likes of Nest, October Falls, Dornenreich, Ulver, Les Discrets, and Tenhi, as well as a track from Empyrium themselves, and all of the tracks on the album are either rarities or have never been released.  Based on the bands on this album, one would expect great things from When the Moon a Nightsong Sings, and for the most part, one would be correct in this assessment.  Going through the entire album to dissect each band’s performance is a monumental task, given that the tribute album covers two CDs and those together have a running time of over 100 minutes.  The songs on the album are more on the side of Empyrium’s neofolk years, particularly the Nest, Orplid, and Havnatt entries, all of which capture the essence of Empyrium perfectly while giving the respective bands a chance to make their own name.  All of the songs on the album are the originals of the bands playing them, which makes When the Moon a Nightsong Sings unique in the sense that it relies on similar music styles to pay tribute to a band instead of having the bands do covers of the band in question.  It allows bands that people haven’t heard before like Syven (who has a lot of time to do so, with 14 minutes making up their song), Musk Ox, and Ainulindal? to make their mark while established acts like Nest, October Falls, and Dornenreich are given the chance to further their reputations.  One problem with a tribute such as this is that even though the idea is unique in having bands play their own songs, some bands tend to shine brighter than others.  For instance, Vàli has two songs on the album, yet with a running time of just over a minute each, doesn’t get the chance to truly show their ability as much as Syven, who has a 14 minute song.  That part isn’t as big of a problem as having the more recognizable names on the album, which in turn, could have some listeners skip through parts just to get to a specific band, and to be fair, that’s any tribute album.  For all of the complaints though, the compilation does a great job of showcasing the bands that best exemplify the Empyrium sound, particularly the later years.  Stand out tracks include Nest’s “Summer Storm,” Ainulindal?’s “A Year of Silence,” and Neun Welten’s “Pan.”

Tribute albums, or any other compilation album for that matter, are often a hit or miss affair.  When the Moon a Nightsong Sings features a lot of mood music that more often than not, pays tribute to Empyrium in the right manner.  A definite must have, this compilation serves as a way to get into music similar to Empyrium, as opposed to just listening to bands cover songs from styles out of their element.

Release Date: October 29, 2010
Label: Prophecy Productions

TRACK LISTING

1.  Vàli-Hoestmelankoli
2.  Empyrium-The Days Before the Fall
3.  Nest-Summer Storm (acoustic)
4.  Nebelung- Ich würd es hören
5.  October Falls-Viima
6.  Ainulindal?-A Year of Silence
7.  Les Discrets-5 Montee des Epies
8.  Les Discrets-Apres l’ombre
9.  Musk Ox-Solstice
10.  Havnatt-Dagen Og Natta
11.  Dornenreich-Dem Wind Geboren
12.  Vàli-Haredans I Fjellheimen
13.  Nhor-Upon the Wind its Wings
        Beat Sorrow into the Stars
14.  Ulver-Synen
15.  Neun Welten-Pan
16.  Tenhi-Kausienranta
17.  Bauda-Ocaso (acoustic)
18.  Orplid-Stille (demo)
19.  Nucleus Torn- Krähenkönigin III
20.  Lönndom-Språnget Ur Ursprunget
21.  Syven-How Fare the Gods?

Total playing time:  104:37

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter

March 16, 2011