Reviews:

From Side-Line: (by ED)

  Set up by the former vocalist (Maniac) of Mayhem ‘Skitliv’ is the Swedish word for ‘shit life’. The project is Norwegian, which is a bit confusing because of the Swedish name. After a self-released album, “Amfetamin” is the official debut-release of Skitliv presented as being black and doom metal-like. I would say that there’s for sure a heavy doom input on “Amfetamin”, but there’s also a harsh industrial side, which reminds me of the legendary Swans. The bombastic guitar play is quite characteristic for “Amfetamin” and reminds to some early Swans-songs. Next to the guitar parts, Skitliv brings bombastic drones and screams. It’s quite noise-like as well and slowly moving on heavier metal parts like on “Hollow Devotion”. The less we can say is that Skitliv has a wide layer of influences making this debut release quite exciting for the lovers of the genre. As a bonus we also get 6 live tracks extract from a live performance at the Camden ‘Underworld’ in London. The intro of this performance was recorded by Current 93. I would say that this is a typical release for all fans of Cold Spring Records!

From Blow Up: (by Paolo Bertoni)

  Dietro allo stendardo Seelenlicht sono Troy Southgate di H.E.R.R. e Butow Maler di Kammer Sieben. Costante il senso di nostalgia recepibile in “Gods And Devils” per i fasti dell’Inghilterra che fu, sia attraverso le amare osservazioni disseminate nella tre porzioni, parlate, di Diary Of Desolation, sia con un briciolo di, rassegnata, ironia quando in The Modern Saxons Troy si consola beffardo nei termini di ‘we have no use for modern Saxons, and I hope their trains run late’, mentre con meno filosofia e con uno strangolamento si conclude Love’s Final Hour che sorprendentemente vira su tematiche ‘amorose’. Lo splendido prologo delegato agli archi di Prelude è promessa mantenuta di un album che mai allenta la sua tensione neoclassica anche quando il passo, è il caso di Demian, di Seelenlicht, della stessa The Modern Saxons è quello della ballata. Notevoli per enfasi She Walks In Beauty e Flamme, sedimenti decadenti traspaiono nelle due parti Idles Thoughts On The Janus Store, di possente marzialità Valhalla in cui vengono citati una serie consistente di numi tutelari, da Evola a Sartre, da Orwell a Crowley, daTolkien a Mishima.

From Mentenebre: (by Fernando O. Paino)

  “Gods & Devils” sorprende desde el primer momento. Resulta en su totalidad un disco muy bien compuesto y producido. Este proyecto tan interesante, cuyo nombre es Seelenlicht, está formado por dos verdaderos maestros del martial y el neofolk. Por un lado nos podemos encontrar a Troy Southgate, que es uno de los miembros de H.E.R.R., formación eminentemente darkfolk que comenzó su andadura allá por el año 2004, o Butow Maler, conocido por ser responsable de Kammer Sieben, un proyecto neokolk de influencia neoclassical y experimental que sorprendería el año pasado por publicar un CD con la discográfica alemana Eis & Licht, en el que ya se cuenta con la colaboración de un componete que también participará en este primer disco de Seelenlicht ocupándose del piano y los teclados, Herr Twiggs.

  Pues bien, “Gods & Devils” puede sonar a todo un poco. Se nota la influencia de bandas tan remarcables como Sol Invictus, Of the Wand and the Moon o Der Blutharsch. Cuenta con una producción impresionante que, al parecer, corre cargo del propio conjunto. En él la música está compuesta por Buttow Maler en su gran mayoría, mientras que Troy Southgate se encarga de escribir unas letras teñidas de crítica social hacia la maldad y la locura del mundo en el que vivimos.

  La verdad es que el disco en sí resulta muy heterogéneo en su contenido, nos encontramos desde temas puramente instrumentales en los que predominan la cuerda frotada y el piano, hasta autenticas joyas de post-folk muy cercanas en sonido a los últimos trabajos de Albin Julius, como es el el caso de su segundo corte, ‘Demian’, en el que la voz de Troy marca una diferencia de calidad sobresaliente. El spoken word también es un recurso presente en “Gods & Devils”, recuerda en muchos momentos a trabajos de Joolz que muy olvidados tenemos, pero que debemos recordar por ser uno de los grandes referentes de poetisas musicales de la Nueva Ola.

  Estoy seguro que el cuarto corte agradará a los numerosos fans de Of the Wand and the Moon, la influencia en esta canción es más que obvia, recuerda muchísimo a las primeras composicones de Kim Larsen, un hombre muy amable y tranquilo que lidera la banda que acabo de citar, y al que estuvimos entrevistando hace poco.

  El quinto corte, ‘Flamme’, rememora los mejores momentos de un conjunto tan genial como es Sol Invictus de Tony Wakeford. En general podemos encontrar infuencias muy marcadas en “Gods and Devils”, pero este factor no le resta en absoluto calidad, yo diría que todo lo contrario. Sus melodías rezuman profesionalidad por los cuatro costados, es sin duda un disco muy recomendable para tratarse de un comienzo. Aborda muchos subgéneros con gran maestría y eso se aprecia desde el primer momento. Además, su presentación resulta muy atractiva, se trata de un digipack de gran belleza que incluye un libreto en el que aparecen todas sus letras. El sello inglés Cold Spring siempre suele lanzar todas sus ediciones en cajas de plástico, por lo que este formato no deja de sorprender dentro del contexto en el que se le analiza.

  El disco fue grabado entre los meses de marzo y junio del 2007 en Inglaterra y Alemania. De hecho, en sus letras se pueden apreciar ambos idiomas. Además cuenta con la participación de otro miembro de H.E.R.R., María Southgate que, para quien se le escape, es la hermana de Troy.

  “Gods & Devils” se alza frente a otros como un disco altamente recomendable, tiene de todo un poco, y no le falta martial folk, como el aportado en su octavo tema ‘Valhalla’, en el que se combinan unos tambores que retumban amenazantes en la cabeza del oyente, mientras que los teclados configuran unas melodías que definen una espectación creciente según avanza el tema.

  Esperemos que este proyecto prospere y que pronto podamos tener nuevas noticias de este gran proyecto. Reza el dicho popular que “La falta de noticias siempre son buenas noticias”, pero en el caso de Seelenlicht deseamos que las noticias fluyan, y que éstas siempre sean positivas.

From Musique Machine: (by Roger Batty)

  Seelenlicht is the new project from Troy Southgate (H.E.R.R. / Horologium) and Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben) which brings together neo classical, powerful and dramatic folk/ rock mix, electronics and heady often dark cinematic wonder- it sees Southgate's distinctive vocals taking on a larger more varied and modern subject matters away from Herr’s often older literary text and historically based work.

   Southgates vocals going from his typically heady spoken word form to more dramatic/ harmonic singing that’s quite deep in theatrical flourishers and feeling. The musically backing mangers the difficult balance between great, grand and organic air of the string textures, the cold and automated electronics and the more dramatic and bombastic dramatic electric guitar elements. Often this quite brought to mind a denser updated version of Coil’s Horse Rovator in it’s merging of electronics’ and string power and the great feeling of end times. Through this is far from copy book stuff – the pair really weaving an original and highly distinctive sound through out. Lyrically Southgate covers the meaningless, draining and drudgery of modern life over the three parts of diary of Desolation and the track Modern Saxon. Heady, beautiful and grotesque description of the sea and it’s power with-in the two parts of Idle Thoughts on the Janus shore, cities consumed by fire on Flamme, as well as on other tracks more historical, mythology based lyrics and love lost modern murder based lyrics.

  A great dramatic and varied work which pitchers Southgate’s striking, heady and often breath taking descriptive spoken word and signing against Maler’s powerful, cinematic and dramatic musical backing.

From Darkroom: (by Roberto Alessandro Filippozzi)

  Abbiamo imparato a conoscere l'artista inglese Troy Southgate grazie agli H.E.R.R., progetto olandese fra i più quotati dell'intero roster della Cold Spring, ed oggi ritroviamo il Nostro alle prese con quella che, a ragion veduta, si può definire la sua creatura: Seelenlicht. Coadiuvato anzitutto da Butow Maler dei Kammer Sieben, autore della quasi totalità delle musiche e colonna portante del progetto Seelenlicht, nonché da ospiti illustri quali l'altra metà degli stessi Kammer Sieben, al secolo Herr Twiggs, da Maria Southgate (già al lavoro con gli H.E.R.R.) e da Eustacia Vye (Horologium), Troy dà vita ad un lavoro capace di abbracciare influenze più spiccatamente folk e/o marziali rispetto alla piega presa dagli H.E.R.R., oggi votati maggiormente verso il neoclassico tout-court, nonostante l'incipit "Prelude" lasci intendere diversamente. Il tipico recitato di Troy si alterna con vocals decisamente più vicine a dei veri e propri cantati, come nel caso dell'oscura e pomposa "Demian", della pregevole ballata folk "She Walks In Beauty" (dalle parole di Byron), della più marziale "Flamme" (dai toni vagamente industrial) e della conclusiva ed ariosa "Seelenlicht", dove la voce sa essere istrionica e suggestiva, per quanto sussurrata. Colpiscono positivamente le tre parti di "Diary Of Desolation", in particolare la seconda, imperniata su di un crescendo elettrico da brividi, e non sono da meno le due parti di "Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore", entrambe incentrate sull'ispirato piano e divise fra passionalità e dramma; ottimali anche le atmosfere dell'ariosa "Herne The Hunter", i toni marziali della bellicosa "Valhalla" e dell'intensa "Love's Final Hour" e la ritmata pacatezza della folk-ballad "The Modern Saxons", per un disco che sfiora l'ora di durata senza mai annoiare. La varietà di soluzioni e l'abilità dei musicisti coinvolti nel metterle in pratica garantiscono un tasso qualitativo sempre elevato, sia a livello di scrittura che di arrangiamenti e produzione, per un disco che saprà mettere d'accordo tanto i nostalgici del miglior neofolk europeo quanto gli amanti di quelle sonorità marziali che qualcuno vorrebbe dare per spacciate, ma che invece riemergono dai meandri del sottobosco europeo con rinnovato vigore. Certo, la pura originalità va cercata altrove, ma la qualità della musica dei Seelenlicht ed il loro indiscutibile gusto compositivo sono fattori che non possono essere ignorati da un pubblico - quello della scena neofolk/martial - che troppo spesso ha sorvolato su palesi limiti tecnici, e la bellissima confezione digipack rappresenta un valore aggiunto importante in un'opera che merita la giusta considerazione.

From Gothtronic: (by Erik)

  Immediately when I heard the first two songs of Gods and Devils I recognised the big H.E.R.R. influence on the debut of Seelenlicht. This is of course obvious since this is the project of Troy Southgate, who is one of the members of H.E.R.R. Together with co-founder Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben) Troy has managed to release a fine album. Guest performances of musicians Herr Twiggs (Kamer Sieben), Maria Southgate (H.E.R.R.) and Eustacia Vye (Horologium) have seen to it that a lot of enthusiasm, energy and effort has been given in order to make Gods and Devils how it is. The end result is an interesting album containing fourteen tracks filled with Gothic murder ballads, electronics, neofolk and neoclassical/spoken word elements. The more neofolk orientated songs Demian, She Walks in Beauty, Flamme, Herne the Hunter and The Modern Saxons are in my opinion the most enjoyable songs on this album. This because they show a different side of Troy Southgate. The songs which contain spoken word have the same references on which H.E.R.R. thrives, only less bombastic and more experimental. Since I am a fan of H.E.R.R. this isn’t a problem at all but a little less of these songs wouldn’t hurt. This does not mean that Gods and Devil isn’t a satisfying album. On the contrary, it has become a diverse and well thought through album with both beautiful lyrics and artwork. Fans of H.E.R.R. and Kammer Sieben as well as fans of the genre should definitely lend an ear to this album. Up to you to decide whether it’s a divine or a devilish album!

From Filthforge: (by Simon V)

  Seelenlicht is a new project involving Troy Southgate, Butow Maler and Herr Twiggs, the latter two better known as the new German neoclassical stars Kammer Sieben. If you are familiar with these three individuals, you probably know what to expect from their debut "Gods And Devils": epic, pompous orchestral themes alternate to slow, melancholic ballads for piano and violin, while Southgate's voice narrates, speaks and sings different stories, occasionally assisted by his daughter Maria and a certain Eustacia Vye. If compared to H.E.R.R. or Kammer Sieben, Seelenlicht sounds more introspective and less immediate, but the best moments of "Gods And Devils" are quite fascinating too.

   A first positive impression comes from the excellent "Demian", a sure shot, an epic march akin to neofolk, and is confirmed by "Herne The Hunter", a disturbing medieval rigmarole, "Valhalla", an epic battle hymn, sung by a whole army on the hills, waiting to come down in the valley and battle the enemy to the last blood, and "The Modern Saxons", a series of sad reflections on a background of floating violin melodies. The CD ends with the manifesto "Seelenlicht", surprisingly featuring Troy Southgate's vocals in German. The rest of the tracks are not as convincing, being pure spoken words with very minimal music accompaniment.

   On the whole, "Gods And Devils" contains some interesting and well-conceived moments, as well as other rather boring ones. Seelenlicht will surely appeal to H.E.R.R. and Kammer Sieben's supporters, as well as to martial and neofolk enthusiasts.

From Brainwashed: (by Simon Marshall-Jones)

  Troy Southgate possesses something of an impeccable musical pedigree, contributing his unique vocals to H.E.R.R. and Horologium, plus guesting on albums by Von Thronstahl, Survival Unit, Sagittarius, Erich Zahn, Sistrenatus, and many others, in addition to being a writer and political commentator. Now the South Londoner conspires with Kammer Sieben's Butow Maler and Herr Twiggs (plus contributions from Maria Southgate [Troy's daughter], as well as Horologium's Eustacia Vye) to add yet another name to the ever-growing list: the Anglo-German Seelenlicht ('Soul Light'); and this, Gods and Devils, is the debut album resulting from that union.

  Due, no doubt, to the prevailing emphases on neo-classicism and martial industrial that both members' main bands profess, there is almost an embarrassment of riches here. Cellos, violas, pianos, woodwind, organs, and percussion, weave a glittering tapestry backdrop for Southgate's half-spoken half-sungand spoken word ruminations on various topics of over-riding and abiding interest to him. It ranges from the daily commute to central London from the outlying regions and its inherent connection to feeding the wheels of capitalism and globalisation, to pastoral idylls and the particular ambience engendered by the notions of 'England' and 'Englishness'. Above all, the voice I hear on this album is overwhelmingly Southgate's, to the point where it almost seemed like a solo vehicle; and in all honesty at times I felt that the only role Maler's martial-classical music fulfilled, as wonderful and sonorous as it is, was simply as an accompaniment to a series of the former's essays based on his preoccupations.

  Southgate has a unique and instantly recognizable delivery style that immediately divides listeners into those that love it and those that loathe it. I find myself being neutral over whether it works for me or not, sometimes feeling that the down to earth and almost homely delivery, set against a neo-classical and pop-martial backdrop, brings the subject matter into the orbit of the average man on the street, delineating his concerns and his helplessness in the face of global forces beyond his control. Simultaneously it is eminently apparent Southgate's avid passion for his vision of Englishness and the soul of "dear old England" are perfectly enunciated by his manner of delivery. At the same, I can also see how this will immediately limit its attraction to those whose natural sympathies are with a nostalgic painting of England as seen through an idealistic lens and that those who don't share such a vision might find it off-putting. There's nothing nationalistic about this however in the sense of an aggressive outpouring of patriotic sentiment. Instead it harks back to a vision of an idealised England that is peculiar to the English spirit, exemplified by the notion that somehow England is one of the best places in the world in which to live and work, an Edenic paradise not found anywhere else.

  The style of delivery is best exemplified on the three part "Diary of Desolation," a lament in prose form about how our daily lives are nothing but empty shells for the most part, ultimately being manipulated by the forces of commercialisation and globalisation; it makes the telling point that 'culture,' even that which we deem to be 'alternative,' is in fact a manufactured phenomenon itself, created in the minds of marketers and cultural movers and shakers with the express intention of helping us to part with our cash. Language is very important for Mr. Southgate, often employed as a subtle but sharp weapon; as in H.E.R.R's last release. "Glass and Steel; a Norwood Tragedy," Southgate employed language as a means of directly evoking time and place, and as a way of giving a solid substantiality to the veritable soul of his England. It worked admirably on the H.E.R.R album, and it works effectively here too. Also, the inclusion of that quintessential English poem "She Walks in Beauty" by the equally quintessential English poet Byron reinforces the notion of the essential soul of England; add into the mix a few references to Herne the Hunter and Celtic mythology as well as areas of southern England and the coast further reinforce that particular ambience.

  A particular favourite is "Valhalla," a humorous enumeration of Southgate's heroes, including Hemingway, Wilde, Orwell, Blake, Tolkien, and Crowley, in addition to Mishima, Heidegger, Sartre, Nietzsche, and Blavatsky, with Maler's bombastic drum 'n' martial music providing a suitably expansive high-flying backdrop and adding gravitas. Other highlights include a two part meditation on the sea and its unpredictable moods, 'Some Thoughts on the Janus Shore,' reflecting in both word and music its capricious nature, and capturing the metamorphosis from calm benignity to sudden malignity; the closing track, 'Seelenlicht,' a haunting refrain over which Southgate sings in German.

  Without a doubt, it's a good album of its type, exemplifying the martial/neo-classical genre to perfection. Admittedly this is one of those albums that some people may find not to their taste, and the sentiments expressed may not jibe with everyone, however that shouldn't limit its appeal too much if the listener is prepared to look beyond the boundaries; while I don't necessarily share as sharp a sense of place as Southgate obviously does and its ties to the soil of England, a sense of belonging that many share which extends to those of other origins, I am well aware of the importance that some place on these things. While I wouldn't go so far as to let it have a place in my best of year lists, it certainly won't find a place in my worst of year either.

From Chain D.L.K.: (by Maurizio Pustianaz)

  SEELENLICHT born from the collaboration of Troy Southgate (H.E.R.R. / Horologium) and Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben). Containing 14 beautiful tracks, the album covers different musical styles (chamber music, neo classical,neo-folk, militaristic and acoustic ballads). Some tracks may recall the classic H.E.R.R. song structure with classical piano/strings compositions with Troy's spoken word spanning through the human weaknesses and madness using also excerpts from Lord Byron and William Shakespeare works ("She walks in beauty" and stuff coming from "The merry wives of Windsor") but this isn't a problem because H.E.R.R. are great and also because the whole result sounds charming and fresh at the same time, covering also a wide range of emotions where the powerful percussions of tracks like "Flamme" or "Valhalla"are matched by melancholic orchestrations on "She walks in beauty" or "Seelenlicht". (4.5/5)

From Alternativmusik: (by Marius)

  Schon im Vorfeld sorgte diese CD für viel Spannung, las sich doch die Beteiligtenliste sehr interessant und viel versprechend: Den Kern der Band bilden Troy Southgate (H.E.R.R.) und Butow Maler sowie auch Herr Twiggs (Kammer Sieben), dazu gesellen sich als Gäste Maria Southgate und Eustacia Vye. Unter dem Namen Gods and Devils erschien nun ein Album, das vor allem auf Schönheit und spannende Klangsphären setzt und seinem künstlerischen Anspruch dabei in jeder Weise gerecht wird. Neben eigenen Texten wird auch ein Text von Shakespeare vertont, man inspiriert sich bei Hesse und weiteren Dichtern und gibt all das in einem gelungenen Spannungsfeld von Neofolk und Neoklassik wieder.

  Das auf die Prelude folgende – von Hermann Hesse inspirierte – Demian zeigt gleich Seelenlicht in all ihren Facetten: Treibende Trommeln als Perkussion, die sich dennoch angenehm dem unnötigen Bombast verschließen, hintergründige Akustikgitarren, Keyboard-Sphären und –melodien sowie ein druckvoller Gesang von Troy Southgate. Ein definitiv gelungener Einstieg, der aber nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen soll, dass die Facetten im Folgenden noch deutlich vielseitiger ausgeschöpft werden. Die martialischen Trommeln beispielsweise sind auf weiten Teilen eher weniger zu hören, dafür rücken Spannung und Schönheit in den Vordergrund. Dies zeigt ein Titel wie Flamme, der von seinen Stimmungen lebt und im getragenen Tempo neoklassische Schönheit bietet.

  Sphärische Schönheit angereichert durch Spannung ist eigentlich das, was Seelenlicht hier auf so gut wie voller Länge bieten. Die Stimme ist dabei oft gesprochen (wie von Troy Southgate gewohnt), aber immer wieder auch gesungen vorgetragen. Obgleich die Qualität des Albums durchweg anhält, stechen dennoch einige Titel noch angenehm heraus. So beispielsweise Herne the Hunter, bei dem als Unterstützung Maria Southgate beteiligt ist. Dieser Titel stellt die zielstrebig dargebotene Vertonung eines Shakespeare-Gedichts dar. Sehr angenehm fällt auch das zweiteilige Stück Idle Thoughts On The Janus Shore auf, das im Gegensatz zum Rest des Albums von Herrn Twiggs komponiert ist und trotz der Zweiteilung einen beachtlichen Spannungsbogen aufweist.

  Wenn man nun noch einmal die Vorschusslorbeeren bedenkt, die diesem Album zugute kamen, so kann man sich nach dem Hören erfreut zurücklehnen mit der Feststellung, dass dieses Album der Erwartungshaltung in jeder Hinsicht gerecht wurde, sie sogar noch übertreffen kann. Zwar ist das Album nicht unbedingt einfach, aber das ist es auch genau, was es ausmacht: Die Klänge müssen sich dem Hörer erschließen. Tun sie dies, dann wird Gods and Devils zu einem erfreulichen Hörgenuss, der dabei gleichermaßen auch sehr innovativ in diesem musikalischen Bereich dasteht. Sehr erfreulich!

From Obliveon: (by MK)

  Wie würde wohl eine gemeinsame Zusammenarbeit von Troy Southgate (H.E.R.R.) und Butow Maler (Kammer Sieben) ausfallen? So schwermütig und von Pathos getragen, wie bei Kammer Sieben, oder so bombastisch und neoklassisch angehaucht wie bei H.E.R.R.? Die überraschende Antwort auf diese Frage gibt Seelenlicht, das im Mai 2007 gegründete Projekt der beiden, das nun in der Veröffentlichung von „Gods And Devils“ auf dem englischen Cold Spring-Label gipfelt. Die vierzehn Stücke des Albums sind dabei so dermassen vielschichtig und abwechslungsreich geworden ist, wie man es in dieser Form nicht unbedingt erwarten durfte. Und nicht nur das, „Gods And Devils“ wartet mit einer Reihe von Überraschungen auf, von denen wohl der Gesangsvortrag Troys die grösste sein dürfte, singt dieser bei Stücken wie „The Modern Saxons“, „She Walks In Beauty“ oder „Seelenlicht“ doch wirklich, ganz im Gegensatz zu seiner rezitativen Art des Gesangs bei H.E.R.R. Das macht Troy dabei so gut, dass man aufgrund der ähnlichen Stimmfärbung zuweilen den Eindruck bekommt, Douglas P. würde hinter dem Mikro stehen. Was die Kompositionen angeht, so decken die vierzehn Kompositionen die ganze musikalische Bandbreite zwischen Neofolk und Neoklassik bis hin zu Military Pop („Valhalla“) ab, all dies voller Schwermut und mit wohl dosiertem Pathos, aber eben nie überladen. Höhevoller Glanzpunkt dieses in sich ungemein stimmigen Albums ist das abschliessende, in Deutsch gesungene „Seelenlicht“, bei dem sich Troy Southgate und Butow Maler in jeder nur erdenklichen Hinsicht übertroffen haben. Mit Herrn Twiggs (Kammer Sieben), Maria Southgate und Eustacia Vye (Horologium) finden sich zudem drei GastmusikerInnen auf „Gods And Devils“, die ihren nicht unwesentlichen Beitrag zum Gelingen von „Gods And Devils“ beitragen. Wo viele Kollaborationen der hohen Erwartungshaltung nicht Stand halten, Seelenlicht haben diese bei weitem übertroffen. (10/10)