Genre/Influences: Neo-Folk, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hailing from Dallas, Texas (USA) Awen has already released multiple productions. Front man Erin Powell got the idea to ask other artists to remix songs of the bands. We get a work featuring seventeen songs remixed by an interesting palette of much diversified artists.

Content: Most remix-albums are often filled with bands from the same music style. Awen voluntarily asked a very diversified number of artists. Patrick Leagas (Sixth Comm, Mother Destruction), Ostara, Nachtmahr, David E. Williams, Murderous Vision, Spiritual Front, Church Ov Melkarth, Beastinaity, ANTIchildLEAGUE, Static Of Masses, Patterson-Gimlin, Et Nihil, Boyd Rice, Samsas Traum, Thomas Nöla, Void Prototype and Delphine Coma have been invited to rework the original Awen songs. The result is absolutely surprising, mixing pure Neo-Folk (Ostara), Electronics (Nachtmahr), Tribal (Spiritual Front), Industrial (Static Of Masses) and even Electro-Minimalism (Patterson-Gimlin).

+ + + : I’ve never been a huge fan of remix-albums, but I can appreciate artists thinking out of the box. And that’s precisely what Awen has done selecting artists who’re totally different from their beloved Neo-Folk style. It’s just great to see artists like Nachtmahr, Void Prototype and Samsas Traum accepting the challenge. It’s of course also more than simply a bonus to get Patrick Leagas and Boyd Rice at board. And it also is interesting to have another Neo-Folk driven formation such as Spiritual Front. All together it creates a very eclectic work, which feels a bit like a compilation, but which is fascinating to see how other artists have reinterpreted the work of Awen.

– – – : If you’re not open-minded and just loving Neo-Folk and nothing else, this compilation will reserve for you a few bad surprises –especially some Electro-driven remixes.

Conclusion: This album tents to prove that a compilation can be also original; just asking for the creative mind of other musicians.

Best songs: “Il Re Grigio Cupo – Static Of Masses”, “The Death Of Reynard – Patterson-Gimlin”, “The Sickle And The Setting Sun – Nachtmahr”, “Brigid The Dark, Brigid The Light – Spiritual Front”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/AWENTRISKELERECORDINGS

Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol-Music-Group/104166526285471