DARKHER, the brainchild of Jayn Maiven, returns with album number two; The Buried Storm.

Release Date: 15th April 2022

Label: Prophecy Recordings

Format: CD / 2CD Hardback Book / Vinyl

DARKHER really do create a sense of unease and mystery on their second LP, The Buried Storm. The follow up to 2016’s Realms is, put plainly, a phenomenal piece of work. Jayn Maiven aka DARKHER has crafted an album that is enthralling, cinematic and mesmerising.

Sirens Nocturne makes for a foreboding opener with a single, solitary drum making way for Lowly Weep. The latter is a true work of art. If you are looking for tension and drama in your music then look no further; the images that the mind can conjure whilst listening here is infinite.

Unbound continues the drama with an acoustic led melody atop cellos oozing disquietude. Choral voices add lighter hues to the palate. As an opening trio, the three songs (which all segue into each other), together as one, are incredible to listen to.

Where The Devil Waits essentially starts another ‘movement’. Acoustic guitar and cellos again create the mist through which lighter melodies and light puncture. Is it beauty? Is it darkness? It can be both depending on your take on DARKHER’s vision and art.

If the questions perplex, there is no conjecture on Loves Sudden Death. Doom laden and dissonant guitars lay beneath stark drumming and Maiven’s enchanting and ethereal vocals. The whole piece builds hypnotically as violins and ghostly vocals play into The Seas. Maiven’s vocal is again the shining star in the black as her chilling tone against a warmer string tone makes for brilliant juxtaposition.

Immortals is one of the longest track on the album and offers the most ‘traditional’ sounding track here. The guitars and bass resonate stupendously (both played by DARKHER) with Christopher Smith’s drumming propelling the track at little more than a canter. The repetition of the beat makes for an anxiety inducing trip into the darkness, but as with so many aspects of this album, you are pulled back from the edge with a smattering of light.

Fear Not, My King closes out the album. ‘The more I close my eyes, the more I see,’ sings DARKHER at the start of the piece; she is not wrong. This mantra can be applied to every aspect of this incredible album. Give yourself to The Buried Storm and let it ensnare you.

Listen to Where The Devil Waits from DARKHER below.

DARKHER will be playing support to Me & That Man later in 2022 and DARKHER will be appearing in Hebden Bridge on April 19th (you can get tickets here).

DARKHER: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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