DAS HOHELIED SALOMOS

The 6th Popol Vuh album and again it is a very solid, be it a little predictable, release. The band doesn't stray much from the pattern of previous albums, and unperturbed by the outside world, they continue to go their own way, with a sound that is at the same time acoustic, ethnic, symphonic, pastoral and almost sacral.

The interplay of piano and clean electric guitar arpeggios remains intriguing and amazing. The sparse vocals, again by Djong Yun, fit Popol Vuh's music like a glove. Her angelic female voice produces the intended feeling of divine delight and blissful religious worship. There are a couple of dramatic highlights such as the opener, Deine Liebe, Du Tränke Mich mit deinen Küssen and a few others, but there are also a lot of shorter tracks that leave an unfinished impression, fading out before they fully develop to the aspired state of heavenly bliss. Considering the total length of the album is below 34 minutes, I feel just a tad disappointed, despite the sublime music.

The good part is that this is the kind of album is where the whole is better than the sum of its parts, and even some pieces are a bit shortish, together they make for a smooth and coherent whole. Strong, but not extraordinary. 3.5+ stars