According to ancient folklore, a woodwose is a name given to mythical creatures from Middle-Ages Europe that were covered with hair and roamed the land – much like the modern age Bigfoot. It’s only fitting that these wild beings found a common ground with the Dungeon Synth community, as their lineage traces back many centuries and is even featured in modern popular literary representations, such as fictional tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. From the musical spectrum, Krauhl has taken the helm with this allegorical beast to bring us the riveting ‘Call Of The Woodwose’. The seven tracks contained on this album tells a magnificent tale of the ancient forest wanderer and the circumstances surrounding its existence.
“A Discovery Of Footprints” opens with a distorted keyboard drone with a slow, rhythmic percussive beat. Tranquil keys begin to take shape and provide a lush foundation for a retrospective vision. Random spots of pre-recorded dialog are perfectly sampled to further construe the subject at hand. “The Spring Of Whiskey Hollow” is a short piece that gives the illusion of sublime comfort and serenity. As quixotic keys play peacefully during the first half of this short track, an interesting – yet intriguing – acoustic part provides a relaxed and charming riff. “Rambling Of The Cavernous” is a minimalistic blend of balanced drum beats and Medieval sounding key. As the drum pattern begins to increase its time signature, the thickness of the synth sound becomes more apparent and the reverb makes this an extra tasty track. “Rustic Worships” commences with a battle-ridden drum pattern, followed by mellow synth leads that are layered supremely. This is exactly how I would envision Medieval music for a somber situation. “Neither Ape Nor Man” is an obscure acoustic passage with eerie soundscapes and natural field recordings. Although it’s just over a minute and a half, it’s succeeds at fusing with the story of the album, as well as the menagerie of musical sounds that have been heard thus far. “Eyes Beyond Trees” is probably my favorite track on the album. Not only is the short audible passage fantastic, but the mix of deep, thudding tones, piano and keys fuse everything together just perfectly. The final track on the album is, “One Who Runs And Hides”. Magnificent echo effects on the lead keys stand out, as other instrumentations play a bold and continuous melody. The esoteric bells that can be heard throughout, provide such a creepy vibe to this track, that it’s like being embedded into a nightmare. Even with everything sounding low key and muffled, clean piano chops are always a welcomed sound as it demonstrates a keen sense of mature songwriting.
Although this fantastic album has been out for a while already, it’s never to late to share music like this, especially when given the opportunity to listen to something new. Krauhl captured a great subject matter and seized the opportunity to provide a spellbinding soundtrack to a fantasy adventure dedicated to the ancient woodwose. ‘Call Of The Woodwose’ is twenty five minutes of extraordinary Dungeon Synth music that will whisk the listener away to an ancient time. From magnificent synth leads, piano work, acoustic guitar, and phenomenal narrative passages, this album has it all. Please support this superb artist and download this album from the link below.
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