65%

I have never been a fan of Neofolk, even in its dark variant. Ordo Rosario Equilibrio, Sol Invictus and Death In June are well known. Their songs are peaceful, acoustic, with small electronica intrusions here and there. Such music can be heard in my speakers from time to time, so I was really willing to listen to this material, especially that I received it at a party (hi Deceth) and I was trying to get back to shape after that night.

Harvest Rain is an American project of two brothers: Jason and Jamey Thompkins. They call their music "samhain folk", definitely connecting the name with their spiritual identities. The band is not foreign to radical right-wing ideology, what is typical for the neofolk scene, the American branch of it in particular - but I'm not going to write about politics here... The recording I am going to review is a reissue of a 1998 release entitled "Songs of Evening". This time, the record was released by War Office Propaganda as a nicely designed digipack.

I put the CD on anxious to hear some breakthrough in the stale genre, though I was expecting a standard approach to neofolk, with nothing original to surprise me. I wasn't too far away from the truth, but I'm used to that. The first song, already, made me think about the last ORE record, "Satyriasis" - Harvest Rain's intro may not be as powerful as "Your Sex is the Scar", but surely it's well played. The brothers follow the path set by Death in June - catchy, acoustic melodies played on guitars, accompanied by a 'highly-spirited' vocalist. The album is inspired with autumnal moods. Rain, wind shaking leafless branches, old Victorian mansion of South Carolina (they originate from that state) with a couple of people warming themselves by some campfire deep in the woods... One of them wields a guitar and begins to sing. Typically for neofolk, we're bound to hear some electronic intrusions, nicely incorporated into the whole - mainly synthesizers, plain sound backgrounds and effects enriching the music. One of the songs, "1736", is pretty conspicuous on the record. No guitars, no vocals but an amazingly good piece of dark ambient. A great track, introducing a troubling atmosphere, it made me think of ruins of old houses.

Harvest Rain on "Songs of Evening" presents a very atmospheric, poetical music... but it's not flawless. It lacks fresh and original ideas. It's easy to notice that the brothers are Death in June fans. Maybe a bit too great, because the record could've been easily signed with Pearce's name, being a coherent element of the vast DiJ discography. There is a fine line between inspiration and copying someone's work and the Thompkins brothers are nearing it dangerously. What's more, the record can simply bore you. It's monotonous - a guitar melody, a few samples, calm vocals. On and on for 50 minutes. I can understand that they're keeping in with the convention, but gentlemen, how much can one bear? Let something happen! A single track, the aforementioned "1736" doesn't revolutionise the whole album, and the record can really tire you. All in all, I'd give it 65%... Douglas Pearce fanatics can add another 10% to my rating.

01. Blessed Frost
02. Soil
03. The Sleepy Old Man
04. Storm Watch
05. Evening and Devotion
06. Gown
07. 1736 (Byrd)
08. Scattering
09. Memory and Conflict
10. Failure's Rose
11. The Invisible
12. Love in War
13. Awake and Arise

• Harvest Rain - Blood Hymns - 2007-08-12 (Music reviews)
• Harvest Rain - Night's Glow - 2007-01-21 (Music reviews)

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