Hermann's Horn / Diable Amoreux - Winter Thoughts

Compulsion Online

Winter Thoughts features a pairing of Australian based acts, Hermann's Horn and Diable Amoreux, both based on the island of Tasmania.

The first side of this split single features the dark folk of Hermann's Horn, with the heavy set croaked tones nestling over slow ringing acoustic strum. This marks the first release from this enigmatic outfit, which if we are to believe the press notes are already regarded as something of a cult band. An album, The Magical Music of Hermann's Horn has just been released on Dreamking Records, a label set-up to solely release Tasmanian bands. It is the inaugural release of what they term "Tasmanian Dream Music". 'Deep Dreams Flare After Long Withhold', their contribution here, is imbued with pagan themes and evocative imagery, with horns arising from the largely based acoustic setting.

There's less wyrd-folk to be found on the Diable Amoreux side when compared to the self-named "gnomic folk" of Zwergen , their previous release. It's no less frivolous. 'Cosmic Clown' romps along to a swinging accordion / harmonium thump with the comic sing-speak vocal of 7. The whole thing unfurls like a twisted psychedelic folk nursery rhyme with a heady brew of artistic images encompassing everything from LSD to Adolf Hitler. 'Cosmic Clown' was written about the Australian illustrator Mark Morte, a mainstay of the Australian experimental music scene. He was vocalist for the black metal group Nazxul and currently fronts Rev Kriss Hades and has appeared on releases from Beastianity and Bain Wolfkind. His work adorns the cover of the latest Diable Amoreux release Hearts In The Dark .

Listening to Winter Thoughts leads me to think that there must be weird happenings going on in Tasmania. Winter Thoughts is released on DA Records.