Well this band took me by surprise, I wasn’t familiar with them before but was pleasantly surprised by what came out of the speakers when the opening track ‘The Beast Of Harkstede’ unfurled its folky tones. This is dark occult Folk music, swathed in a haunting atmosphere, melodic and moody acoustic guitar passages, intertwine with lush but darkly atmospheric female vocals, with lyrical themes that are inspired by subjects such as death, murder, occultism, witchcraft and folklore. Cautionary tales and odes to lives cut short by witch burning and persecutions for example can be found on their latest musical and magickal offering and with song titles such as ‘A Mantra For Burned Witches’, ‘Witches Sabbat’, ‘Meet The Devil At The Weeping Willow’ and ‘The Road That Leads To Death’ this is definitely no happy hippy peace and love Folk music but the complete antithesis shrouded in a dark aural ominous fog. I am not the most educated when it comes to this genre of music so can’t really offer up a personal opinion in regards to comparisons with other bands plowing the same musical furrow but the terms “Dark Folk” and “Spiritual Acoustic” have been used when describing MORTIFERO’s compositions and I’d say those descriptions are very accurate and suit their songs main vocalist MORTIFERO, who the band is named after, is also involved in the Black Metal scene, most notably being a member of Dutch band ASAGRAUM. Apocalyptic Folk is another term I have seen being used when describing Dark Folk bands and I would say that would be very appropriate to use here too. Overall “The Baleful Tales” is a very enjoyable listen, definitely something that can only be fully appreciated and enjoyed when in a certain mood and when one wants a break from distorted metallic music. Not heavy in distortion but definitely heavy in atmosphere, an album which will draw the listener into their spiritual sonic soundscape and take you on a journey that evokes scenery filled with ancient woods, mist enshrouded mountains and warm outdoor fires crackling in the night with embers dancing above the flames. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064191217545, www.facebook.com/vanrecords