Rockfreaks.net

Saltatio Mortis

Wer Wind Sät

Written by: PP on 16/10/2009 13:37:07

Saltatio Mortis play German folk metal/rock focusing on the sounds and thematics of the medieval era. According to various people on the internet, they are meant to be one of the leading bands in the genre, but I honestly can't recall having their name popping up in any context, probably because all of their material - past and present - is written in German, therefore not making much sense to those of us who possess less than mediocre skills in the language. They certainly don't make it easy for the prospective international listener, as even their whole Myspace page is written in German, where their detailed descriptions of each band member thus go over my head unfortunately. So don't expect a detailed analysis of the lyrical universe here.

Strictly musically speaking, then, Saltatio Mortis capture the whole middle-aged feel nicely throughout "We Wind Sät". Most of the vibe can be attributed to the usage of the bagpipes, which lead most songs forward together with some bouncy guitars, but to perfect the job the band integrates special instruments like shawm, flutes, didgeridoo, Hurdy-Gurdy and even Cittern to their sound. This has the effect of creating a very convincing sound, and without even looking at the band description, I knew we were dealing with the era of knights, kings, and tournaments straight away.

There's also a noteworthy guest appearance on the record, as on "Salome" you'll hear "the queen of metal" Doro contributing some contrasting vocals on the background. It's also the only reason the track stands out in comparison to the rest, which sort of just blend together on the long run. I'm on my 8th listen now and I'm still not able to cling onto any of the other tracks anyway. If I've interpreted the promotional blurb correctly, Saltatio Mortis are more often booked to play on medieval fairs than actual rock festivals, and based on the sounds presented on this record, that's not surprising at all, for I fear they might not be interesting enough for the metal crowd nor the rock crowd.

Download: La Jument De Michao, Salome
For the fans of: Subway To Sally, Schelmish, In Extremo
Listen: Myspace

Release date 31.08.2009
Napalm Records