Peter Scion - Devachan.

  • Label: Domestica.
  • Year:1997.
  • Style: Psychedelic Folk .
  • Format: CD-R.
  • Note: Limited to 100 copies.
  • Score: 70%

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One of the true classic albums for me, and a very important one in my developing into the darker folk genres is ”Devachan” by the Swedish underground artist PETER SCION. Released already in 1997 (I discovered it around 2000), in a very small amount, this disc may not been heard by very many people.
I would say the sound on ”Devachan” is something in the vein of what STONE BREATH does. There is a fine psych folk feeling and many interesting ideas. Peter plucks the dark-tuned guitar strings, and he also does some creepy cello playing, harmonium, piano, bells and numerous percussion instruments. A fine musician he is, but he really can’t sing. His voice is so obviously forced to sound dark so it falls. But I can live with that, obviously I have been able to live with it for the last 8 years so...
There are many fine songs! ”One for Chris” is a very nice introduction to ”Devachan”, ”Gently Johnny”, a traditional song you might remember from the movie The Wicker Man, is covered with the original feeling intact. ”In The Forest” is superb, with the lyrics adopted from the poem by Oscar Wilde. I love the distant drums and the heavy cello in this song. But the flagship is of course the title track, a 15 minutes long improvisation that reminds me a bit of ROBBIE BASHO actually, with added gothic feeling and maybe not his insane tempo, but still a very enjoyable piece of psychedelic dark folk music. This is the kind of track that HAS to be experienced, there is simply no way to put words on something like it.

Be sure to pick this one up if you ever run pass it! Especially if you are a fan of 70’s folk, STONE BREATH, IN GOWAN RING or TENHI.
A classic. But no masterpiece.

Tracklist:

  1. One For Chris
  2. The Raven King
  3. These Darkened Trees
  4. Elizabeth Love
  5. Time
  6. Gently Johnny
  7. In The Forest
  8. There was a Goodbye
  9. Devachan
  10. Like Winter I am
  11. Where the Wild Things Are
  12. Johanna of my Song
  13. Love Song ot her Secrets

 

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