Hekate
On May 18 2018 Prophecy Productions will release Totentanz by HEKATE.
In Greek mythology, Hekate is the goddess of magic, mediating between the realms of life and death. Hekate, the band, was formed in 1991 and is one of the foremost protagonists of German neofolk. Over the course of five albums, the group has combined folk, medieval and classical music with striking percussion and electronic elements to create a distinctly individual style, which reaches its temporary climax on their sixth record “Totentanz” (“dance of death”).
Seven years after the release of “Die Welt der dunklen Gärten” (“the world of dark gardens”), Hekate delivers its most refined compositions to date, playing both traditional, catchy neofolk tunes and hypnotic tracks. In the process, the group manages to recall the atmosphere of early 90’s apocalyptic folk without coming across as anachronistic. Enhanced by floating synthesizer and drum arrangements, the music itself reflects the lyrical themes of “Totentanz”: dealing with our own mortality in the sense of “memento mori”.
In this context, Hekate plays out its fondness for Romanticism with an urgent interpretation of Prussian poet Joseph von Eichendorff’s “Mondnacht” (“moon night”), and an album cover graced with a (so-far unpublished) painting of the same name by German symbolist and art nouveau artist Franz Stassen. Just as exclusive: the design of the album’s book edition features unpublished ink drawings from the series “Apokalyptische Landschaften” (“apocalyptic landscapes”) by Hermann Wöhler, a painter influenced by magic realism who worked in secret and whose paintings the art community is only now discovering years after his passing. All of the included paintings are a part of Hekate singer Axel Menz’ personal art collection.
Apart from the digipak version of the album, “Totentanz” will be released on gatefold double vinyl — with five bonus tracks — and as a book edition (limited to 500 copies), that includes an additional 60 pages and the bonus tracks housed on a separate CD. In addition to the album lyrics, the book contains prefaces by both Axel Menz and Susanne Grosche, a “Totentanz” essay, the biographies of Franz Stassen and Hermann Wöhler, English translations by Markus Wolff (Waldteufel) and numerous illustrations by Wöhler.
Hekate – Traumzeit
Hekate – Melancholly
Hekate links:
Band location – Koblenz Germany
Find more info about Hekate on their Website
Learn more about Hekate on their Facebook page
Watch the latest Hekate videos on their You Tube channel
Listen to and buy Hekate music on Bandcamp
Find info and links for Hekate on their Reverbnation page
Follow Hekate on their Twitter page
Buy Hekate music on their Itunes page
Listen to Hekate music on their Spotify page
Buy Hekate music on Amazon
See more about Hekate on Google Plus
Follow Hekate on MySpace
Find out more about Hekate at Last Fm
