PAGAN HARVEST

I saw Rebecca Falls and Damascus videos through conversations with relatives, liked them and then got the album. My friend who bought it before me said "you might like this its unusual but seems to have a fair number of attributes that other bands you like have". He described it as having a sort of early Fairport feel with some unusual time signatures thrown in played in a kind of prog classical style. After a few listenings I can say he wasn't far wrong. As well as the properties mentioned I can report many of the songs have a dark atmosphere which is brought out by some great lyrics namely in Fight the devil, Damascus, Rebecca Falls and the Hawthorn. The standout track (which perhaps hints at even better things to come) is Rebecca Falls which is heavily influenced by Reynardine the traditional English folk song made popular by Bert Jansch and Fairport Convention. This is both the most complex and longest track with several strong themes which are developed and build up to a climax.  In an age where it seems that few bands leave much of an impression and originality is harder and harder to find its nice to come across something truly original.    

Pagan Harvests first album entitled Pagan Harvest is a mixture of styles including prog folk and classical. In traditional prog form the songs range from four minutes in length through to nearly thirteen minutes and exhibit unusual time signatures and a wide variety of sounds and instruments. The songs are complex and well thought through with the lyrically often taking inspiration from the English landscape. The songs display depth and atmosphere especially in what i think are the three standout tracks Rebecca Falls, The Hawthorn and Queen of the River. If you are looking for original music that is both eerie and atmospheric then i would whole heartedly recommend this album. A firm 4 stars for Pagan Harvest, I will aim to get a copy of the second album