| Daimonia Nymphe Tyrvasia |
When Greek musicians Evi Stergiou and Spyros Giasafakis (a/k/a Daimonia Nymphe) get back to their roots, they REALLY get back to their roots. They aren't just inspired by the myths of ancient Greece -- they're playing reproductions of old Greek instruments like the lyra, varvitos, pandoura, kithara, double aulos, syrinx, keras, seistro, krotala, cymbals and samviki. Their music has been described as "Supreme Ancient Hellenic Ritualistic music, using exclusively acoustic instruments, thus giving a clean picture of Ceremonial magick" and "Ancient Hellenic Ritualistic music, Paganistic Hymns and Ceremonial Odes to the Ancient Gods and Deities of the Hellenic Pantheon." The end result is ... different. To start with, the vocals are not sung so much as chanted over a slow drumbeat: the effect is hypnotic and alien. The accompaniments -- slowly strummed strings, panpipes and cymbals -- only add to the tension. Throw in the sounds of wind and running water, and you can easily imagine this as the soundtrack to a dark pagan ritual. (This is especially true of the third track, "Hymm to Bacchus," which features Dionysian female shrieks which call to mind the Maenads or Diamanda Galas ... not that there's necessarily a huge difference between the two). Does their CD Tyrvasia succeed as historical re-enactment? I couldn't tell you, since the ancient Greeks didn't leave any CDs behind. What I can tell you is that it succeeds as music. Alternately enchanting and unnerving, Tyrvasia sounds like nothing you've ever heard before. I'm not sure if this EP is still available: however, all hope is not lost. Daemonia Nymphe's first international release, simply titled Daemonia Nymphe' will be released by French based company Prikosnovenie. Prikosnovenie Records |