SPLINTERSKIN - 'Wayward Souls'



CSR114CD (August 2009)
CD in jewelcase
Barcode: 823566471721



Caught in the oblivious borderland, Splinterskin unveils his spell after years of solitude and hermetic isolation, in the form of a harsh, dark folk music. His tales are told using an old classical guitar accompanied by haunting vocals, violin, and soothing whispers cradled in the delicate atmospheres of autumn.

With simple yet mystically riddled lyrics that beckon, Splinterskin taunts the listener with hidden meanings, allegorical concepts, nearly indescribable deep feelings, and a sense of universal understanding only a spirit as Splinterskin could possibly weave together as music.

‘Wayward Souls’ is a collection of tales blending life and death, entities & creatures, hidden wisdom, unknown places, pain and suffering, folklore, possession, insanity, nature and the dark world that surrounds.

With tales such as ‘Dancing Dead Men,’ ‘The Thing that Wasn’t,’ and ‘Chanting Bells Call Shadows’, one can only suspect the moods are of a dark, moody and nightmarish nature…yet, there are no words to truly describe Splinterskin’s message or music.

Track listing:

1. Chanting Bells Call Shadows
2. Dancing Dead Men
3. The Crumbling Cabin
4. Something In The Walls
5. Moonlight Rain
6. The Thing That Wasn’t
7. Broken Down Hearse
8. Still At The Window Sill
9. Hoofbeats
10. The Eyes That Hide
11. The Skarekrow (October Roads)
12. A Horrible Night To Have A Curse
13. Black Bird Sorrow Song
14. The Man On The Porch
15. A Trail Of Trees
16. Wayward Souls
17. Dancing Dead Men (Reprise)



Reviews:

“Splinterskin is a project that could just about define ‘weird and wonderful’ as a musical genre… “Wayward Souls” is a remarkable debut, mixing the ethereal with the earthy with such a delicate touch that you’ll be hard-pressed to stop the hairs on the back of your neck from tingling. The whole album is a treasure, with each track setting out with a new creative urge and narrative earnestness… These compositions remind me of the gorgeously uncultivated sound of Arkansas musician Count Beetle – the musicianship has a similar oneness with the elements, and a familiar creepy, breathy, spooky, evocative approach, which takes its wide-eyed inspiration from the full moon over deep woods. That Splinterskin has spun this sound out to easily captivate for the duration of a full-length release is very impressive, the end result powerful, haunting yet weirdly reassuring. Experimental folk at its very finest – highly recommended” (92/100, Hierophant Nox)

“This is a wonderfully atmospheric and absorbing work… Splinterskin’s music is raw, minimalist folk, with a distinctively dark, malevolent atmosphere… Splinterskin aims at accessing realms of the imagination which are more usually the province of film-makers, and his gift for narrative is so strongly developed… again and again whilst listening to Wayward Souls, I found myself storyboarding the songs, constructing lurid tableaux in my mind’s eye. This is an outstanding debut album, and one I will be returning to long after this review is over and done with. As the trees shed their leaves and the shadows lengthen towards Halloween, the damp evening air suffused with the rich aromas of leafmould, fungus and bonfire smoke, Splinterskin provides the ideal soundtrack for autumn. Take me to your backwoods now” (Judas Kiss)

“The flame-yellow cover strikes as well as this old wander man, archetypal figure haunting the woods… Howling wolves, owls and crows, rain and thunder sounds, and an old grating door set a sinister atmosphere on this album. Apart from sporadic violin, dulcimer, hand drums or spirit shakers, a simple old classical guitar dominates this album. It has a pure natural sound… Atmospheres range from melancholy and sad melodies to a story-telling style, closer to elements and nature’s wildness… This album is a demonstration of both demonic skills’ playing abilities and composition intelligence. Music and text merge organically on a few very accomplished songs” (Heathen Harvest).

“Splinterskin is a one-man project who offers up macabre, horror fuelled, autumnal simmered and strummed dark folk. “Wayward Souls” takes you deep into Splinterskin’s sinister, atmospheric and at times darkly fairground wonky sonic world. Splinterskins’s often hushed, croaky and woodland roughed vocals and acoustic guitars that take in folk and classical music hints; as well as the odd nods at more darkly fairground or freak-show minstrel strum, grimness and discordant… Lyrically the tracks sort of tread the line between woodland bound Poe tales of murder and creepiness, folklore and dark fairytales, and Splinterskin’s creepy Wildman of woods persona… Wayward Souls is an original & distinctive take on the dark folk genre”(Musique Machine)

“Music conceived in isolation and solitude, voluntary exiliated in the remotest depths of North American forests… The atmosphere is decaying, dusty and mournful, portraying images of cursed characters, doomed adventurers and supernatural creatures, while a cold, endless rain pours down, echoes from the forest and laments of animals suggest the presence of something we would prefer not to deal with. Vocals are eerie, sound like those of an old loner, or of an elemental wandering through the dark woods, warning human intruders to stay away from there at night… a haunting journey that won’t fail to fascinate different kind of listeners” (Filth Forge)

“L’uomo ribattezzatosi Splinterskin, dall’Ohio, prima si condanna ad un isolamento talmente radicale da esser tronfio, poi matura “Wayward Souls”. Lo vediamo ritratto in copertina avvolto da una luce aliena, eremita in una foresta che di esseri umani ne ha visti pochi. E questa solitudine profonda e beffarda gli impone l’essenza assoluta, il folk lividamente ancestrale, voce, chitarra, dulcimer, pioggia e tuoni, che guarda oltre l’orizzonte con la saggezza di chi vede e sa che dire a nulla serve, ché tanto esser ascoltati è somma utopia. Dancing Dead Men, Still At The Window Still, The Eyes That Hide, The Skarekrow, l’impetuoso strumentale A Trail Of Trees e l’inginocchio Drake di Wayward Souls raccontano di uomini invincibili nella loro sfida alla modernità tra lune, riti, morte e natura generosa e crudele, sfiorando senza curarsene verità dal nitore annientante, fuori dalle fatue esigenze dell’effimero. Inflessioni vagamente malvagie in Broken Down Hearse e sinistri riverberi in Something In The Walls sembrano comunque assumersi un vano compito monitorio, lasciare traccia di un avvertimento che si è consapevoli non sarà udito” (7/8, Blow-Up)

“To be original in a carbon copy world is a rare and refreshing treat. All too often, there is a glut of untalented individuals who are incapable of composing material with the slightest hint of originality. In today’s music, as well as cinema, virgin creativity is nowhere to be found. Such is not the case of Splinterskin’s debut CD – Wayward Souls. Unsophisticated and unpolished, the dark folk art represented on this opus is without a doubt some of the most original and inspired music that you will ever hear. Ever so slightly reminiscent of Tom Waits’s distinctively raspy style, Splinterskin’s whispers of haunting vocals flow alongside an unlayered acoustical guitar to give his work the feel of crude, yet, inexorable desolation. The tasteful use of violin and other eerie instrumentation is scattered about the seventeen title tracks as artful splotches of paint dripped over an uneven canvas” (Mass Movement).

“De naam reflecteert alles wat hij probeert te zeggen: “to show al the thorns and shredded bark that comes with me …… splinters and all”… Wayward Souls herbergt mystieke, basale bosfolk en lijkt herrezen uit eeuwenoude compost, mede door de geheimzinnige klank van zijn stem. Alles is opgenomen met één microfoon, wat het nog breekbaarder en intiemer maakt. Met klassieke, akoestische gitaar, sporadisch aangevuld met dulcimer, viool en wat handclapping, bones en sticks, weet hij een bijzondere sfeer te creëren. Hij vertelt verhalen over verborgen wijsheden, oude tijden, dood en verval, mythologie en de elementen. Zijn nummers zijn authentiek en ongepolijst, soms tegen een achtergrond van een regenbui. De sfeer van Wayward Souls is indrukwekkend, alsof een mystieke nevel je langzaam omhult. Luister en laat je overtuigen, misschien komt er nooit meer een vervolg! Om met zijn eigen woorden te eindigen: “i am exposing my spirit here …… and it is painfull”. Essentieel voor de romantici, dromers en melancholieken onder ons” (4/5, Heaven)

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