With a handful of less than successful attempts at "acoustic metal" populating the shelves in the past year, one might be forgiven for passing up yet another effort in favour of something a little more, well, reliable. That would be a mistake, because Nest's latest not only teaches Borknagar and Drudkh how it's done, but it's also one of the best acoustic metal CDs ever, easily rivalling Kveldssanger or the best of Empyrium.
The ambience emanating from Nest's music is really unlike any other band I've heard. Not sorrowful or oppressive, but fragile and enchanting. It does get dark at times, but the gloom is tempered by the warmth from the kantele (a kind of Finnish harp) and the deep, woody percussion. The music itself is quiet and peaceful, ancient even, but not in a merry elves-and-fairies-dancing-in the-forest kind of way. This is deadly serious and involving music, for the contemplative and meditative listener.
You might think this doesn't sound all that terribly thrilling, but I wouldn't hesitate to call this music exciting, because it's as action-packed as acoustic music can be. Fans of Nest's previous release, Woodsmoke, will note that this CD is much more diverse and unpredictable than its predecessor. The songs are much less straightforward - the melodies subtly fragment and the pieces move in different directions, sometimes recombining to form something entirely different. As a result, it's much easier to get lost in the music.
This time the songs are much less reliant on the kantele. Sometimes the background ambience takes over, sometimes percussion dominates. Keyboards and bass enter and exit when appropriate. Vocals are infrequent and almost inaudible, a deep rumbling echo which never distracts from the music's ambience. Chanting and female vocals also appear and one of the songs even features a menacing distorted guitar tone - something unexpected for Nest. The melodies aren't as catchy or recognisable this time around-but this isn't a complaint, it just means you need to listen a few more times to 'get' it.
Is this metal, you ask? It would be a hard task to argue it is, but it certainly puts me in the same spiritual state of mind. One of the great things about bands like Nest is they remind us forgetful metalheads that music doesn't need to be feature complex guitar patterns or advanced technical skill to have depth - sometimes less is more. As it stands this is the best acoustic metal I've heard for almost a decade. If you like Empyrium or any acoustic ambient at all, I recommend giving it a try.
The ambience emanating from Nest's music is really unlike any other band I've heard. Not sorrowful or oppressive, but fragile and enchanting. It does get dark at times, but the gloom is tempered by the warmth from the kantele (a kind of Finnish harp) and the deep, woody percussion. The music itself is quiet and peaceful, ancient even, but not in a merry elves-and-fairies-dancing-in the-forest kind of way. This is deadly serious and involving music, for the contemplative and meditative listener.
You might think this doesn't sound all that terribly thrilling, but I wouldn't hesitate to call this music exciting, because it's as action-packed as acoustic music can be. Fans of Nest's previous release, Woodsmoke, will note that this CD is much more diverse and unpredictable than its predecessor. The songs are much less straightforward - the melodies subtly fragment and the pieces move in different directions, sometimes recombining to form something entirely different. As a result, it's much easier to get lost in the music.
This time the songs are much less reliant on the kantele. Sometimes the background ambience takes over, sometimes percussion dominates. Keyboards and bass enter and exit when appropriate. Vocals are infrequent and almost inaudible, a deep rumbling echo which never distracts from the music's ambience. Chanting and female vocals also appear and one of the songs even features a menacing distorted guitar tone - something unexpected for Nest. The melodies aren't as catchy or recognisable this time around-but this isn't a complaint, it just means you need to listen a few more times to 'get' it.
Is this metal, you ask? It would be a hard task to argue it is, but it certainly puts me in the same spiritual state of mind. One of the great things about bands like Nest is they remind us forgetful metalheads that music doesn't need to be feature complex guitar patterns or advanced technical skill to have depth - sometimes less is more. As it stands this is the best acoustic metal I've heard for almost a decade. If you like Empyrium or any acoustic ambient at all, I recommend giving it a try.
