Genre: Neofolk

-- Against The Modern World
01 Angels Fall
02 Raven Chorus
03 Against The Modern World
04 Long Live Death
05 A Ship is Burning
06 Untitled
07 Summer Ends
08 Wolf Age, Axe Age
-- In The Jaws Of The Serpent
09 Angels Fall
10 Rise and Fall
11 The World Turns
12 The Runes
13 Gold is King
14 Twa Corbies
15 Somewhere in Europe
16 Media
17 Abattoirs of Love
18 Raven Chorus
-- 19 The Joy of the World

When I came home the other day, there was a nice package from Heathen Harvest waiting to be opened. I almost couldn’t wait to even get my coat off, I wanted to know what was in there. So I grabbed the package, opened it, and there it was, right on top, the first thing that my eyes saw. Sol Invictus. Sol Veritas Lux. Joy, oh joy, my day was good. How can a day be not good when you get a Sol Invictus CD. Not to mention it’s not just any Sol Invictus release, but the reissued version of Sol Veritas Lux.

Sol Veritas Lux, was initially released in 1990 already. It includes the two very first Sol Invictus releases: Against The Modern World and In The Jaws Of The Serpent. Both originally on vinyl, but joined together on Sol Veritas Lux. Even though Tony Wakeford apologizes in the booklet for the sound quality, it’s not all that bad. Not if you take in mind that this music has been recorded nearly two decades ago. And still, it’s very enjoyable. In these days, Ian Read was still a member of Sol Invictus. In 1991 he created his own neofolk band Ice + Fire.

What I really liked on Sol Veritas Lux was the fourteenth song, ‘Twa Corbies’. As a fan of not only neofolk, but also medieval folk, I happen to come across certain traditional songs. This has lead to a certain love for these traditional songs. Twa Corbies means two ravens. It’s a song about two ravens that decide to eat a slain knight. His dog is away hunting, his hawk is chasing an owl and his lady lies in bed with a different man. Twa Corbies is a parody on a different poem called ‘The Three Ravens’, which was about a slain knight too. But in The Three Ravens, the lady takes care of her dead knight, leaving the ravens without a meal. Twa Corbies is played by Omnia on their release Pagan Folk as well, amongst others. For further reading about Twa Corbies, see wikipedia's entry.

Related to this, I like different versions of the same (non-traditional) song as well. So being treated by two versions of Angels Fall and Raven Chorus is really nice. But that’s not it, there are three unlisted songs, right after ‘The Joy Of The World’. These three songs are different versions of Angels Fall (again!), Against The Modern World and Summers End. Lovely!

There’s a noticeable difference between the songs on Against The Modern World and In The Jaws Of The Serpent. The first seems to be more melodic, while the latter has a little industrial touch to it. I prefer the melodic side. The industrial (so to say) side is a tad boring, the songs are too much alike. Not suitable to listen through them all in one go. Still, there are Raven Chorus and Twa Corbies, so that’s a plus. In Twa Corbies there’s the use of a tuba, which adds a nice melancholic touch to the song.

Sol Veritas Lux is a must-have for every selfrespecting and selfcalling neofolk lover. It shows the start of one of the neofolk pioneers, and should be cherished. A CD packed full with 71 minutes of historical music that certainly should have a place on your shelf.