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Gwynedd (CD) 1997 Serenades
From now on, the word 'Gwynedd' shall not remind me any more of an anorexic Hollywood actress, but instead of the excellent first full length album from this Austrian band. With the Celtic god Cernunos featuring on the front cover, it's pretty clear that this original band is conceptually influenced by the Celtic mythology and tradition. Most lyrics are in German and they chant about the godlike powers of the almighty nature, fertility rites and womanhood. Singer Thomas' very raw, unprocessed vocal performance might scare some listeners off, but the way this band combines excellent musicianship, dark doom, majestic atmosphere and ritual/darkwavish chants, is unique. Doom epics like 'Neumondblut' and 'Feldfeuer' (check out the excellent, catchy refrain!) are seemingly effortless alternated with repetitive, ritual darkwave tracks like 'Ahnenstahl' and 'Ährenschuld'. Originality and nerve in music must be applauded, and therefore I urge every dark music fan to check out this excellent band!	1. Neumondblut 2. Feldfeuer 3. Ahnenstahl 4. Schwarze Erde 5. Ahrenschuld 6. Kundgebung 7. Rabenhorst Approx. 49 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou