Album review: FAUN – Hex

There is a thin line between cheesiness and enchantment. It’s one that German neofolk ensemble FAUN have ridden hard for almost three decades now, fishing inspiration from the rustic mystery of the medieval age but never relinquishing their supremely listenable songwriting. Stacking instruments as obscure as the hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, lute, flute, bowl fiddle and harp alongside modern synths and polyphonic vocals, their sound could be as dense as Scandic overlords Wardruna and Heilung. Instead, they prefer the poppier side of paganism: an airier alternative to fellow Teutonic heroes Corvus Corax and Saltatio Mortis.

Twelfth album Hex is a tribute. Under the direction of bandleader Oliver Satyr – ‘Magister Artium of Medieval Philology’ – these 12 tracks explore the history of witches, female heaers and wise women in Western Europe. Blot, for instance, is a mournful exploration of Vikings’ naturalist religion, with its demand for ritual sacrifice. The surging Hare Spell is named after an incantation recorded by Isobel Gowdie during a Scottish witch trial in 1662. Prancing opener Belladonna is steeped in old Irish legend and brought to life with pulsating reggae rhythms and crunching guitar. Shadows lurk but ultimately hope and light prevail.

Aficionados of ancient sounds and anyone with a folky sweet tooth folk will doubtless be delighted. It’s in some fascinating crossovers and collaborations that Hex might appeal beyond FAUN’s core fanbase, though. The powerfully sonorous cover of Nick Drake’s Black Eyed Dog is an unexpectedly affirmative highlight, while Turkish vocalist Fatma Turgut enhances the delicious eastern flavours of Umay. Nothing outdoes the efforts of American songstress Chelsea Wolfe on the earthy Nimue, of course, as her normally haunting aura is thrillingly inverted for an ode to the ethereal power of music. ‘Magick is a whispered word, but solid like stone / The will to rise within your blood and bones / Magick is intention that turns a song into a prayer.’

Believers should listen closely. It crackles here.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Corvus Corax, Saltatio Mortis, Wardruna

Hex is released on September 5 via Pagan Folk