Enine: Spiritus Natura

Hailing from Russia, Enine are a progressively focused outfit taking their cues from a host of influences you might expect - Marillion, Floyd, Genesis, Klaus Schulze and the like - while infusing something much more contemporary into the mix. The band’s debut, The Great Silence, was an interesting introduction to their musical ethos, but with the follow up, Spiritus Natura, they seem to have taken small steps forward in a variety of ways. Firstly is the confidence of the compositions, with cuts such as “Enine (Shaman’s Dream)� incorporating the chants, wails and hums you might expect from such a character, while laying them on top of a gently evolving groove and a combined, if not necessarily combining, guitar and keyboard solo. The second aspect is in the sound itself - now admittedly, this review has been written from listening to this album on bandcamp, but the separation between instruments truly allows the who experience to breathe.

Mood and atmosphere are key here, with the four-piece of Vladimir Mikhailov (guitar), Ilya Frolov (keyboards), Vladimir Nikonov (bass and jew’s harp) and Alexander Dyatlov (drums) joined by Darya Nigavora, who provided percussion and drums for the shamanic rituals mentioned previously. And really, whether through the Floydian trip of “Ayvel (The Curse Of Water Spirit)� or the equally enigmatic “There Are Three Ways (But Only One Road To The River)� the manner in which these considered pieces are layered together gives them the ability to last long in the memory, even if some influences are quite easy to spot.

Intriguingly, given the band’s location, that this album arrives through the Chilean label Mylodon Records may be something of a surprise, but between them, band and label have created an excellent sounding release with eye-catching cover-art. And while the majority is of an instrumental nature, the album’s intentions are to celebrate the beauty of nature, the struggle of male and female principles, the power of love, the bitterness of betrayal and the willingness to forgive all, and somehow these aspects kind of shine through. Detailed stuff for sure and that comes across in every track that you’ll encounter here.

Two albums in and Enine are really beginning to grow, if they can shake off some of their more obvious musical touching points, then surely they’ll be in a position to take that further and start to gain some true international recognition. As it is, Spiritus Natura is a really engaging experience that draws you back into its world on a regular basis.

Track Listing
1. Spiritus Natura (Beauty Of Wisdom)
2. Kanda (Power Of Being)
3. Enine (Shaman’s Dream)
4. Ayvel (The Curse Of Water Spirit)
5. There Are Three Ways (But Only One Road To The River)
6. Between Two Worlds (Light And Shadow)
7. Lost Seabird (Song Of Hope)
8. Die Somnium (Lazy Spring)
9. Forgotten Trail (I Don’t Think I’ll Be Back Here Again)

Added: January 30th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Spiritus Natura @ bandcamp
Hits: 611
Language: english

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