Waldteufel returns to conjure primeval forces deep within forests shrouded in darkness. Using hypnotic tribal percussion, cosmic drones, and unearthly chants, they have created an album of dense Germanic pagan hymns that is both transcendent and mystifying.
The vocals on this album are all in German and are usually read or chanted. The lyrics come from texts by two mystic poets from fin de siecle Munich, Alfred Schuler and Stefan George, as well as from the ancient Indian Vedas, sometimes even within the same song. While Schuler's work mostly concerns the divine light of the universe, that of George is frequently preoccupied with power struggles and the ego. Supported by the Vedas, the collision of these two different obsessions erupts in powerful and frequently harrowing music.
Primal forces are unleashed with the invocation "Telesma," which embeds a folk accordion in subtle washes of drones and electronic pulses to combine with the recitation of Schuler's text in evocation of what is translated as "a vibrating complex of light." According to Schuler, it is the substance of the universe itself. The difference between the poets is noticeable immediately when anthemic metal guitar passages roar into life to accompany George's paradoxical and egotistical words on the album's title track. Even as the two poets frequently ran in the same circles, here the band cleverly entwines their ideas by adding to the song the chant "Sanguis," or blood, which Schuler believed was the source of creativity.
In addition to the lyrics, percussion is also a significant part of this album. Propulsive and insistent rhythms command the listener's attention at every step. Combined with the layered chanting of esoteric poetry, there is a palpable ritualistic quality to this music. A militaristic undercurrent also creeps into some of the songs. Occasionally, a march might add a counter rhythm, but the most obvious example is the bugle calls and martial barking of "Kupferwut" or "Copper Rage." The lyrics come from Schuler and deal with the idea of bringing forth joy through sacrifice and rebirth.
This theme of contrasting yet interwoven opposites, of the darkness enclosing the light, is the pulsing heart of the album. On Sanguis, Waldteufel reduces life to its most primordial element, and the result is a uniquely spellbinding and otherworldly experience.
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