Hantaoma

As much as I love Stille Volk and their unclassifiable brand of folk/neo-medieval music, let’s nonetheless admit once and for all it’s from Satyre Cornu onwards the guys really started to get their shit together.

Granted, for the listener already familiar with the band’s later works Hantaoma looks in some way far more comfortable and reassuring than its infamous follower [Ex-Uvies]: at least here we get some true folk music, not some questionable experimental mix of folk, industrial, electro and whatever else went through the musicians’ minds at that time. Furthermore, said musicians’ quest for authenticity should be noticed and rewarded as well, with a refusal of easy melodies, an already extremely restricted use of keyboards, or the totality of the various samples which will be heard all throughout the album being recorded in the Pyrenees mountains by the bandmembers themselves (according to Patrice Roques): to sum it up, as soon as the totally a capella intro Ajunt De Bruixes begins, you know you’re very unlikely to find anything even remotely trendy here.

Unfortunately, in spite of all the band’s laudable intentions, Hantaoma eventually ends up looking pretty lacklustre. Stille Volk will later sufficiently prove anyone it’s possible to record entirely acoustic albums which do NOT sound boring, but the same couldn’t exactly apply to their early works. Consider it – SEVENTEEN tracks, but a single hand will probably be enough to reckon all the memorable ones. Of course, of course, this little flute melody on Hesta Dera Gagnolis is for sure charming, the aforementioned intro or, later, Pleurs are for sure outstanding vocal performances, the guys for sure know how to play their strings and wind instruments, the very clear production for sure will make the most subtle nuance shine out, however the result doesn’t seem to live up to the means employed. Not one of the lesser problems being it’s often hard to tell the difference between genuine songs and mere interludes; indeed a rough half of the tracks rather seem to belong to this latter category. Hell, how would you classify a work like Esprits des Bois, lasting around four minutes but with hardly two of them consisting in genuine music? Or La Chasse au Cerf which never seems to begin – only to end on another lengthy sampled part? The question isn’t even asked for Crépuscule Des Encatats, which only consists in samples, or for the spoken title track. La Trompuso, which I guess is supposed to sound pretty festive, misses its target. Muscaria sounds downright idiotic, more similar to a joke between drunken people than anything else. The list could go on.

But if the moments of brilliance are thus scarce, this doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Again all the instruments are extremely fluently played, what partially redeem the whole work. Though Patrick Lafforgue’s characteristic deep folk voice may still lack the full power and versatility of its maturity, moments of genuine inspiration are already to be found like for instance with this odd, twisted, incantatory tone on Les Parques de la Lune, one of the few stand-out tracks. Besides Stille Volk at that time still boasted a real drummer (Yan Arexis), what soon becomes obvious considering the intricate work on percussions; actually many elements from early Stille Volk could well find their logical explanation if we believe Roques’s claim Arexis was the one responsible for most of the “experiments”(1), and I can’t see why we shouldn’t. Oh, and let’s also mention what is probably the best song, the both melancholic and crystalline waltz Dans les Confins s’en Retourna, a haunting melody from remote ancient times.

Eventually, and perhaps most important of all, in spite of both the somehow amateur, naive approach and the obvious songwriting weaknesses it can’t be denied the true seed and spirit of later Stille Volk is already fully present, with the emphasis put on wind instruments (even if those are overall less numerous than on further works), Lafforgue’s voice, or subjects and themes soon to be further developed: the Moon which will play such an important part on the following output, the Pyrenees, mysterious pagan creatures like the shepherd-patriarch Milharis, without forgetting all the stille volk themselves. Because though the ultimate Master of Ceremony, the Great God Pan Himself might still be missing, His underlying influence can’t be denied.

Highlights: Leherenn, Les Parques de la Lune, Dans les Confins s’en Retourna


(1)If the guy hadn’t left after [Ex-Uvies], I’d have – P. Roques. This doesn’t need any comment, either.

STILLE VOLK's first album arguably turned out to be their most experimental work. Unlike its follow-up "[Ex-uvies]", which added a full line-up of rock, metal, electronic and industrial flavors to the band's palette, "Hantaoma" strictly maintains its acoustic folk backbone. The only exceptions are some light sound effects and bits of field recordings peppered on a few pieces like "La Chasse Au Cerf", "Esprites des Bois" or the title track. The band's later records put greater focus on a song-oriented approach, while "Hantaoma" embraces a much more playful (i.e. avant-garde/post-modern/whatever tinged) spirit that might unfortunately end up as a turn-off for a casual listener.

The album's experimental tone rests with abundance of short, quirky sketches and ditties, which actually make up a huge chunk of the album and often brim with oddball arrangements, schizoid vocal bits, and generally skewed Dionysian atmosphere. The same goes for many of the longer tracks that are just as likely to abruptly drop a tranquil pastoral flow and replace it with a chorus of drunken satyrs or an off-the-wall instrumental segment, which has little to do with what went on before. Somewhere between layers of this medley lie a few proper songs and/or ballads such as "Leherenn", "Ode Aux Lointains Souverains", "Les Parques De La Lune" and "Dans Les Confins S'en Retourna". Very good songs, if I may say so, with distinctive and memorable vocal melodies and harmonies, yet not entirely free of the album's predominating leftfield atmosphere and arrangements either.

If you haven't already guessed, this is very much a love it or hate it type of work, and I think I should just leave it at that. One can argue about the quality of "[Ex-uvies]" as an album, but doing an all-out fusion like that is a predictable enough move. It is perhaps also a necessary stage to go through for a kind of band that STILL VOLK are. I have similar sentiments for "Hantaoma". Experimenting within unplugged folk framework may or may not be a more difficult task to pull off, but also a very crucial step for the group's evolution. And as such the record definitely has merit. Within the walls of this establishment, however, it is a different story. General metal population should approach this with much caution and apprehension to say the least. But those folk music minded amongst you do give it a shot.