Reviewed - 11/07/04

Laguz-Within The Lake
[Karmageddon Records]

Back about five or six years ago I bought a 2 CD Hammerheart Records sampler compilation that had a ton of great folk music, folk metal and Viking metal on it. The standout track of that album was a track by Hagalaz' Runedance. I just found myself listening to that track over and over enjoying it's trance-like folkiness and reveling at how catchy the song was and also enjoying in how it put me in a different frame of mind. I liked it so well that after a few days I found myself searching for Hagalaz' Runedance albums in one of my local big chain stores. I didn't think I'd really find anything, but lo and behold there was a copy of Hagalaz Runedance's "Volven" album. I bought it and I took it along when my buddy and I went camping for a few days. We loved that album so much that that was about the only thing we listened to the entire time. I'm a big nature freak and this album was heavily into nature, so it fit with being out in the woods extremely well. After that I got heavily into Hagalaz' Runedance and got all four of their albums and their 7" EP. They quickly became one of my favorite bands of all time. Their, well I say "their", but almost everything from the battle drums to vocals and everything were done by Andrea Huagen (who also was in Aghast and did the female vocals on Cradle Of Filth's "The Principles Of Evil Made Flesh" album) but she did enlist the help of some folk musicians. Anyway, their sound was a very medieval style of folk music and her voice just touched me in a way that very few vocalists have. I loved the band and I was quite upset when I heard that she was giving up on music. A bit of time went by and I found out she didn't actually give up on music, but had just stopped doing Hagalaz' Runedance and was working on a new project called Nebelhexe (which means "Fog Witch"). Mixed emotions welled within me because I was grateful that she was continuing with music, but I was skeptical that anything could be as great as Hagalaz' Runedance was. Only time and the release of the first Nebelhexe album would tell. So I waited. And waited... And finally it arrived.

So, do like Nebelhexe as much as I did Hagalaz' Runedance? No, but I have to say that "Laguz-Within The Lake" is a damn fine album. Andrea has stated she wanted to do something different than medieval folk music, and with Nebelhexe she sure did something different. Actually, quite a bit of Hagalaz' Runedance can be heard in Nebelhexe. Andrea's moving and passionate vocals are still here, and some of the folk-ish tribal drumming is here, but now there's also many other influences such as a bit of gothic, electronic and even some metal influences every so often. It is a very odd and eclectic mix of sounds that you'll find on this album, but it all works together supremely well. I find myself listening to this CD constantly because it's not like anything I've ever heard and it is filled with such melancholic greatness that it gets better and better with each listen.

Andrea's voice is, and I'm not kidding here one bit, one of the best voices I've ever heard. She sings so well that I think she could do a completely vocal album with no accompanying instruments and pull it off very well. The lyrical subjects of this self proclaimed artist, pagan and magician on this album are really deep and range anywhere from conveying her dreams and feelings, to nature. She's a masterful vocalist and lyricist and does an excellent job helping the listener be transported to her world. It really shines through on this album that she cares about her music a lot.

The production is far above average and is excellent, in fact. The drums and her voice take center stage, so those seem to be out in front more, but that's a good thing in this instance. Some of the songs on here are made to be played loud and others are more subdued and sound better turned down a bit, but the great production makes everything sound good at any sound level you have your stereo at.

The packaging is great and the cover art depicts a scene with a witch-like Andrea standing in the forest. This really depicts her love for nature and sums up the album quite well. The inside of the booklet contains a ton of abstract and dreamlike paintings Andrea and and a few other people drew that depict what each song is about. Quite cool, really. The lyrics are also all written in an easy to read font style, and Andrea gives a page long explanation on what Nebelhexe is all about and why she decided to stop with Hagalaz' Runedance. The Nebehexe logo also kicks ass! As far as CD packaging goes, this is one of the best I've seen in months.

I can't recommend this album enough to anyone reading this review. If you liked Hagalaz' Runedance, you should like Nebelhexe as well, even though their similarities are few. People that only listen to metal will probably not like this, but those metal fans with more open minds should go and give this a try. I guarantee you haven't heard anything like this before. Also, I'd recommend going out and getting a Hagalaz' Runedance album or two while you're at it. I hope that Andrea releases another Hagalaz' Runedance album sometime in the future, but if not I'd be perfectly happy with Nebelhexe. "Laguz-Within The Lake" is one of the shining musical moments of 2004.