Genres: Folk metal, progressive rock, post rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Eluveitie, Faun, Eivor, Cellar Darling
Country: Germany
Release date: 23 February 2024
If I had a nickel for every time a band with exactly two Eluveitie members in it put out their second album in the second month of 2024, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it would make this sentence mention the number two quite a bit. The first, from Fabienne Erni and Jonas Wolf’s Illumishade, is a massive, widescreen blockbuster of unapologetically poppy modern metal with a sprinkle of prog on top. Its counterpart, released only a week later, is a somewhat more subtle affair, a smoky trip through ancient forests and inner vision quests with melodies that aim for gradual enchantment as much as they aim for hooky immediacy.
Tvinna, featuring Eluveitie guitarist and drummer Rafael Fella and Alan Ackermann alongside Faun frontwoman Laura Fella, have just released their sophomore effort Two – Wings of Ember, and it’s a somewhat difficult album to describe sonically. One would expect a straightforward folk-metal approach given its members’ other projects, and it definitely draws from similar Euro-folk influences— there are some archaic-language lyrics here, a bit of bukkehorn and hurdy gurdy there, and the occasional bit of mountain forest ambience to keep the vibes in place. Despite this, much of the album strays far from this beaten alpine path, creating cresting, post-rock influenced soundscapes out of layered guitars and a surprisingly sizable serving of synths. There is a palpable sense of experimentation, as if the band is taking a bit of a step outside their comfort zone—fitting given the album’s thematic focus upon the life stages of childhood and adolescence. But, as anyone who’s ever been a teenager knows, such times are as awkward as they are exciting, and Wings of Ember is no exception.
Like many a panicked youth on the first day of school, Wings of Ember doesn’t exactly put its best foot forward. Intro “Nénuphar” is serviceable if a bit overlong, crafting an ambience of synths, strings, and distant birdsong as Laura dramatically recites the titular Rainer Maria Rilke poem. But as we transition into proper opener “Dawn of Mine”, there’s a slight feeling of disappointment. Sure, they’re clearly going for a dynamic buildup here, with guitars beefing up the verse the second time through as Laura shifts from a delicate croon to a big, belty chorus that’s evidently meant to arrive with a bang, For whatever reason, though, it doesn’t quite stick. Rafael’s guitar is loud, sure, but a lack of motion makes it come off as a perfunctory wall of noise with precious little to actually do beyond serving as more background sound for Laura’s vocals. Speaking of vocals, while she is overall a strong singer whose tone is lovely most of the time, the belting here sounds oddly strained and awkward, which combined with the bland guitars makes the would-be climax land with the force of a soggy pool noodle.
Despite this rough start, though, Wings of Ember quickly gets back on its feet with “Louga”. The most straightforwardly “folk metal” track on here, it exudes a sense of vitality that the previous track lacked, centered around a simple yet incredibly hooky chant that’ll have even the 99.9% of their audience that doesn’t speak Old High German singing along. The guest features do some heavy lifting here, with Maria Graf’s bukkehorn sounding the charge over pounding drumbeats and Fabienne Erni’s strident, belty guest vocals effortlessly taking the lead over Laura’s softer tones. It’s not perfect or anything- it feels like a verse has gone missing somewhere, and having a toddler recite the lyrics in parts is a bit of a misstep, no matter how thematically appropriate it may be- but it’s a fun tune nonetheless, and the biggest earworm here.
As the album winds on, Tvinna take a slower, more measured approach to subsequent songs. Like with “Louga”, the songs often feel more like ritualistic chants than verse-chorus pop tunes, but they start taking their time more, basking in the warm, twilit atmospherics and layers instead of feeling the need to hammer their hooks into your brain. There’s a clear effort being made to keep things from feeling too repetitive, and most every song follows an identifiable dynamic arc in its own way. Sonically, though the overall approach remains consistent, there’s a good deal of variety here, from the brooding, doom-influenced riffs on “Two Staves” to the way the effervescent guitars and synths bounce off of each other and buzz like a hive of bees in “Fortress”. There are even a couple of musical left turns in the longer songs, such as “Somnia”, which shifts from soft, measured post-rock to a powerful buildup led by Ackermann beating the living daylights out of his kit’s toms.
Of course, sometimes the shifts in arrangement aren’t quite enough to make up for the repetition in the melody (“Irwahhên”), and some of their experiments don’t quite land, such as the weird Tom Morello-esque guitar solo in “Arma” or the heavy breathing and spoken word that takes up the intro to “The Fall”. But when Tvinna are on, they’re on, and the best example comes with the title track, “Wings of Ember”. Laura and co-vocalist Sascha van der Meer harmonize gorgeously over sparse yet insistent synth lines, ratcheting up the volume and octave alike as Ackermann taps out a tricky counter-rhythm with some excellent fills. And then, in a shocking twist for an album not particularly focused on showy performances, an absolutely lights-out solo from Faun‘s Stephan Groth (on hurdy-gurdy, though drenched in enough effects to make it sound like a synth on first listen) crashes its way into the song like the goddamn Kool-Aid Man, and it’s the highlight of the entire album.
Tvinna are a band in flux, with two founding members departing in recent years, and this album reflects that uncertain reality by boldly striding into unexplored musical frontiers. The path they walk isn’t without its pitfalls, but I feel confident that in seeking out the sounds that work for them and finding the sounds that don’t, the band have undergone their own sonic adolescence, with all the incandescent glory and awkward cringe that comes with it. Though this particular endeavor may have been somewhat hit-and-miss, I have a feeling that it will open the door to a subsequent release that captures the band at the peak of self-actualized adulthood.
Recommended tracks: Louga, Wings of Ember, Two Staves, Fortress
You may also like: Adaya, Albion
Final verdict: 6.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Tvinna is:
– Laura Fella (vocals, synths, shaman drum, electronics)
– Rafael Fella (guitars, bass, electronics)
– Alain Ackermann (drums)
– Sascha van der Meer (backing vocals)
with:
Fabienne Erni (vocals on “Louga”)
Maria Graf (bukkehorn on “Louga” and “Der Weg”)
Stephan Groth (FX Hurdy Gurdy on “Wings of Ember”, vocals on “The Fall”)
Fiona Rüggeberg (vocals on “Nénuphar“, electronics on “Dawn Of Mine“ and “Irwahhên“)
Fieke van den Hurk (synths on “Nénuphar“, FX accordion on “Fortress”)
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