Tonight is part of the Acoustic By Candleilight tour and sees a number of bands playing stripped back solo sets.
Carcass Of Sighs is one man, Simon Smith, who plays strummed acoustic guitar coupled with deep sonorous vocals like Mark Lanegan or Tom Waits. He manages to conjure a dark atmosphere which is no mean feat when you can still hear football chants coming from the main bar (it's been the Manchester derby today). With different vocals, it could probably be seen as folk but the vocals take it into darker territory. At one point, he slows it down a little for a more intense feel. Imagine the Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell material without the female counterpoint and you're somewhere close. Towards the end of set closer 'Hung, Drawn And Quartered' Simon raises the volume and becomes more hoarse, sounding like Primordial's Alan Averill. A good start.
Vines are wrapped around the mic stand and incense is lit, signalling the start of Grift's ancient sounding pagan folk. There's a backing track of waves crashing and owls hooting which gives it the feel of Moonsorrow's cleaner parts. There's a norse feel to the material, which sounds like Wardruna meets Agalloch The music evokes a magick which has been unearthed deep within the forests. Erik's voice is typical Norse black metal clean singing and this add extra gravitas and makes each of the compositions seem 'epic', as exemplified by 'Den Stora Tystnaden'. Some tracks remind me of a Nordic Alcest ('Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde' era). The closing track (which he translates as 'Mountain Of the Lunatic') sounds particularly epic.
Darkher have a completely different feel to Grift as Jane Maiven takes us from the forest to windswept moors and coastlines. She starts off with bowed guitar to create a dark atmosphere before the guitar is strummed with downbeat chords. The haunting, ethereal vocals give it the feel of Chelsea Wolfe or AA Williams, particularly their acoustic records. There's hints of the occult too which bring Messa to mind. These dark, ghostly ballads speak of loneliness and unrequited yearning, particularly the type found in Victorian novels such as 'Wuthering Heights'. Her falsetto, when she uses it, is amazing. The solo acoustic performance sufficiently conjures the doomy atmosphere of the records. It's laden with atmosphere rather than heaviness. It's all quite singularly paced and one dimensional though meaning that as good as it is, it's a struggle to remain fully engaged throughout. I think I have the same problem with the albums too.
Darkher ****
Grift ****
Carcass Of Sighs ****
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