Joy of Nature — The Empty Circle, Part II – Rastos de Sangue e Fra

Like the name of the album suggests, this is the second part of 'The Empty Circle' trilogy by Portugal based Joy of Nature. Released by the label Ahnstern, Part two of The Empty Circle trilogy is described as more vocal-oriented, and this can be noticed immediately upon listening to these 14 tracks. Not only do all these tracks have singing voices in them, but it is also apparent that these singing voices have different characteristics to them on each track, and combined with the music that ranges from medieval folk to militant anthems and even soft psychedelic music. The result is a high quality, diverse and almost spiritual album.

The album begins with "Invocação Ao Arcanjo Miguel", a short, yet intense ritualistic introduction. This invocation catches the listeners' attention almost immediately, only to give way to the next song, which offers great female vocals in addition to the otherwise dominant male singing. "Cavalos Correm Nas Minhas Veias" is much faster and begins with a militant melody that develops into a much more complicated music, adding more painful elements to the song as well as more percussion and musical instruments. Other songs will show different faces of this project, like the ballad "Por Tua Saudade" or the almost new age sound of "Para Lá Das Sombras".

Another fine release for Ahnstern, The Joy of Nature offers a very rewarding album that offers both interesting music and stirring atmospheric sounds. Fans of Neo Folk and spiritual music should not miss this one!