The RMR crew discovered Sangre de Muérdago (blood of mistletoe) more by accident than by design. One late night with rain hitting the roof, I set out to find some vile metal to rumble across my stomach and blur the screams in my head. Instead, I found a gem of a pig-headed version of folk. Galician Folk, to be precise. And same as Ljungblut‘s latest blurb, this offering feels like soothing balm spread on an often overly tortured soul. A record the band already released worldwide back in April and which will now get a vinyl facelift by 6 October 2023 on Throne and Neuropa Records.
We discovered almost medieval sounds seemingly reaching us from Spain’s northernmost corner between Portugal’s border and the rough ‘n’ rocky coast. A wooded area containing towns like Santiago de Compostela or the port city of Vigo that many of you may have already heard of. So, let’s unplug everything, light some candles, and immerse ourselves in some lores of the land. But don’t draw that pentagram. Today, folk it is, as per one of RMR’s credos.
Interestingly, the band not only sports links to Galicia but is – apparently – also anchored in Germany. Case in point, some of the videos for this piece were recorded in Leipzig. And two of the three main band members – Georg “Xurxo” Börner and Mara Winter (Phaedrus) – seem to originate from up North. Whereas the master songwriter, Pablo C. Ursusson (ex-Antlers), appears to have direct roots in this wild corner of Spain. And it’s funky, ain’t it? Folk and Black Metal go closely together. So, sure enough, the aforementioned band – Antlers – was an atmoblack outfit. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Die-hard black metallers like Einar Selvik (Wardruna, ex-Gorgoroth) seriously converted to an earthy type of Pagan folk. And it suits them well, almost too well at times.
And let’s be clear. O Vento que Lambe as miñas Feridas‘ origin doesn’t stem from the Celtic brethren active a bit more to the east along the coast in Basque country.1 Those would be fodder for another folk-related article. This here record is down-to-earth fare, quiet songs that will touch your soul and not leave you for a while. Compositions anchored in the lore of the land, sprinkled with traditional songs (Eu chorei, chorei, for instance) with a medieval touch. The RMR crew loved the fully unplugged play without the pagan chanting that we so often get. Real melody and true soul and none of that annoying wailing.
And indeed. O Vento que Lambe as miñas Feridas presents hand-crafted songs that come in the Galician dialect. This one’s much closer to the softer Portuguese than traditional rough Spanish. Presented by Ursusson‘s quietly emotive voice and backed up by the remaining band members, you’ll effortlessly move through the ebb and flow of superbly structured and neatly arranged songs. The expertly balanced chanting finds a perfect background through the use of archaic instruments like the nyckelharpa, medieval transverse flute, short bursts of the good ol’ hurdy-gurdy, a ton of classical guitar, and a variety of strings. And the conversation between Winter‘s flute, guitar, and the interpreters took us by surprise and then by storm a few times.
That said, you won’t find anything truly new on this here record. It’s fair to say that most of the tracks would sit well on former productions as well. Further, the excellent Adeus Meus Amigos is a readaptation of the first version from the badly mixed debut album of 2011. Only that – perhaps – OVQLAMF is a tad more reflective than earlier pieces. And, it is also true that Sangre de Muérdago isn’t the only traditional folk band with a variation problem. Traditional music is limited to certain ways of presentation after all.
Ultimately, though, O Vento que Lambe as miñas Feridas turned out to be a gem of a folk piece. Emotive, but still instilled with a quiet strength. The power of long centuries of tradition, firmly embedded in a wild and almost forgotten piece of land in a far-off corner of modern Spain. Even if some German found its way into the tracklist, that is. But overall, Sangre de Muérdago composed a great record of quiet yet still potent reflections. One that will indeed stay on our internal playlist for a long while.
Recommended.
Ed’s note: And – drumroll – the record’s made it onto our 2023 Top Ten list. Congrats! And more flute-heavy fare has just come online. Check out Ember Belladonna.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Música Máxica / Throne / Neuropa | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 14 April 2023
- A much-contested claim, by the way. -Ed.-↩