Gothtober - Greet : "I Know How to Die"

There is a Swans-like swathe of ambiance that swells to life when this album opens. It is even more sound than song, so I am going to write it off as the intro. The drone carries over into the second song, but the vocals chime in with a mournful-sounding folk chant of sorts. There are also elements of country/ gospel music in the mix. It almost sounds like bagpipes. The vocal melody feels earnest enough to make this work amid the pulse that rings out. Matthew Broadley is weaving this all together. There is a more Appalachian feel to "Revelry" that touches on the early Irish roots of things like bluegrass. The drone ringing out in the background creates an eerie feel, like this is the soundtrack to an A24 movie.

'The Leather Knight" works off a similar pulse as the previous songs. There is more of a melancholic longing in the vocals, which is why it belongs being covered here, it's more "Midsommer" than "Dracula". This album and others like it often lean into this ritualistic, primitive version of early tribal folk music, causing it to run together with the other songs into one sprawling invocation of sound. "May" flows from a similar harmonium-driven vibration. "The Seer" feels more like a funeral march. 

"The Battle" keeps a similar solemn tone, with cinematic shadows cast over the notes that paint a picture of bodies laid out over the stark aftermath.  As an instrumental, it might capture a mood, but it is less interesting as a song. The last song, "Eulogy," casts an equally depressing spirit over things. It holds an ache in the notes. The vocals are the most focused of the album, though they do not make this more dynamic, but the hollow loneliness of the baritone croon feels real. I will give this album for the very authentic darkness that haunts it in a much different manner than the other albums I have reviewed this month. 

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