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Orplid

Orplid – Deus Vult (2020)

  • neofolk

I was looking for music to play for some people who do not share my musical taste, so I needed something ‘light’. After a while I started browsing some neofolk, a genre I seldom play and I noticed that Orplid has a new album. A new album, 12 years after the last one!

I my memory does not fail me, the titleless 1998 debut of Orplid was my first ‘real’ neofolk album. I still the earlier material of Orplid, but seldom play it.

Putting on “Deus Vult” it is soon clear that Orplid changed a bit. The acoustic guitars had to make place for soft electronics, but there are still electric guitars here and there. The atmosphere is roughly the same as on earlier albums. The music is soft, sometimes somewhat melancholic, the distinctive vocals Uwe Nolte are still there. Unfortunately Claudia Arndt has been replaced by a female vocalist that I like less.

Something familiar and something new. The music goes from orchestral to more IDM kind of music to minimal ambient. Not bad at all actually, but not really my cup of tea either.

If you are quick, you can get a luxury version of the album that includes a book and there is also a massive box set with the complete Orplid discography available.

Links: Orplid, Auerbach Tonträger

Orplid * Greifenherz (cd 2008 auerbach tonträger)

GreifenherzMany years ago it was Orplid that introduced me to the musical style called “neofolk”. Their untitled debut remains the best album in this style with its not too typical sound. Orplid kept making masterpieces and when my interest in neofolk started to wane, Orplid started to change their style. However their albums never blew me away like the debut anymore and I had to get used to them as well, they definately made the better music from the scene. The style of today is hard to describe, but when you know have followed Orplid too, you will not be too surprised by “Greifenherz”. Its sound comes natural after “Sterbender Satyr” (2006), but there are some electric guitars, some darker electronics and a bit more “Barbarossa” atmosphere, but the result is a mostly tranquil album with very nice songs. Just as on the previous album there are some distinctive female vocals that I do not really like and some tracks are not really my taste (yet?), but musically Orplid is a lot better than most bands from the scene. By lack of a better tag, I used “neofolk” for the navigational cabin to put this album in, but “Greifenherz” goes from neofolk, to atmospheric ambient music, rocky tracks, wavy influences to spoken word.
Links: Orplid, Auerbach Tonträger

Orplid * Frühe Werke (cd 2007 noltex)

A cd with “early works” released by Uwe Nolte himself. It seems that there is also a limited (150 copies) special edition with one more track, but since I didn’t know that, I just got the digipack cd on which are four tracks that I didn’t have yet, two songs from “Heimkehr” (1997) and two songs of which I haven’t been able to find the origin. The rest comes from compilations (and the debut cd rerelease with extra tracks), “Das Schicksal” (1998) and “Barbarossa” (2000). A great album, but again I already had most of the material.
links: Orplid, Noltex
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Orplid * Sterbender Satyr (cd 2006 auerbach)

Orplid’s 1997 debut cd was the album that for the first time (consciously) introduced me to the neofolk genre. Still this album is the absolute highlight of a genre that soon lost my interest for the largest part. Orplid continued to do their own thing, so the following releases were different every time. The same goes for “Sterbender Satyr” (‘dying satyr’). This time the music became very tranquil with quite some electronic sounds and ‘an 80’ies feeling’ here and there. I am not really sure what to think of the album. One track with female vocals is simply horrible, other tracks are rather boring, some are nice. Do I have to get used to the new album, or is Orplid for me following a downward track? I have heard the cd a few times now, and the album grows, but very slowly. Too bad, but I always admire a band that doesn’t follow the obvious parths.
-addition 21/5/07 : another magnificent album with spoken word and singing over subtle soundscapes –

Orplid * Nächtliche Jünger (cd 2002 prophecy productions)

Ever since their brilliant first cd of 1998, Orplid has been one of my favourite bands. After quite a long wait came some vinyl and a mcd (some even released before I started these pages, the debut originally as well) all very good, but not as good as the debut cd. The same goes for “Nächtliche Jünger”. This new cd is much more tranquil than previous releases and only at the end there are some industrial influences and darker material. Also the songs aren’t as ‘victorious’ as they used to be anymore. What remains are beautiful modest songs with acoustic guitars and singing or electronic music and singing. A very nice cd again of this German band.

Orplid * Barbarossa (10” 2000 eis & licht tonträger)

After some problems with the printers of the cover, here is finally the new release of Orplid. A 10” that has to be played on 45 rpm with a long track on each side. Both songs are dedicated to the German language and culture and both are so to say poem on music. On side A the lyrics are so to say ‘screamed’ over minimal music and around the end when the song runs out of text there is some victorious music with fierce drumming. Side B has more spoken word accompanied by drumming. It took me a few times before I started to like “Barbarossa”, but I am again very happy with the music of Orplid. When oh when will they release another full-length?

Orplid * Geheiligd Sei Der Tote Name (mcd 1999 eis und licht tonträger)

The German Orplid really amazed me last year with their outrageous debut cd. A magnificent blend between neo-folk music and industrial in a way I hadn’t heard before. After that debut came an okay 10″ and now a new mcd. 5 Songs, 20 minutes in the unique Orplid style. There’re acoustic guitars, double male vocals (no female this time), orchestral themes and industrial passages. Neither the 10″ nor this mcd reach the level of the cd, but I guess that’s partly caused by the lengths.

Orplid * s/t (cd 1998 eis & licht tonträger / 2000 prophecy productions)

Yesterday I was taping a few Orplid releases and I thought that it is actually a shame that one of my all time favourite albums didn’t have a review in Sententia, especially because it was re-released a while back, which should have given me a reason to review it anyway. But at least Orplid did already got a place on my page while another brilliant band hasn’t: Blood Axis. The good news is that a new Blood Axis album is anounced by Tesco and the classic debut cd from 1995 (Chthulhu / Storm) which was already rereleased by Misanthrope, will be available again on Tesco in a remix, so I guess also Blood Axis will be here some time soon.
But back to Orplid. I have had my copy since it was just out and Eis & Licht was a small and rather unknown label. I was totally smashed by the music of Orplid and they re-awoke my interest in dark neo-folk music which obviously was out there. Orplid plays tranquil neo-folk with very nice male and female vocals, extremely dark neo-folk with industrial and totally industrial tracks and in a way I hadn’t heard before. Maybe you can compare this with Ordo Equilibrio, but don’t expect Orplid to sound the same (actually they are better in my opinion). Fortunately everybody is again available to get their hands on this masterpiece. Orplid also has a brilliant mcd on Eislicht called “Geheiligt Sie Der Toten Name” and an outrageous 10″ “Das Schicksal”. In a few weeks the new 10″ “Barbarossa” will be out. Whenever you are able to buy yourself an Orplid item, don’t hesitate, because “NIEMAND IS BESSER ALS ORPLID”!!