I have noticed recently one of our female employees wearing a Strong(her) brand apparel. Active lifestyle and custom fitness having nothing to do with metal, the name itself somehow came to mind when the opportunity to review a debut EP by Darkher came by. No life realm, including dark metal, should be off limits for the ladies. Darkher is an entity created by one such English lady Jayn Wissenberg. The music presented on The Kingdom Field is deep, acoustic, reserved and introspective. Exactly what can be called dark metal without a stretch. In an unusual twist I happened to see a video for Ghost Tears before hearing the rest of The Kingdom Field and given Ms. Wissenberg’s deep voice, philosophic disposition of the video and gray-and-white tones I could even call the experience spiritual. The fact everything seems to be in touch with nature only reinforces the shamanistic feeling. If you look at the cover it can also be interpreted in several different ways. In the colors of sunset chosen for the cover, as issued, one could see a Native American sailing away on a boat using a feathered oar. However, in another version of this same picture, with a different lighting, the picture is actually a photo of Ms. Wissenberg herself, ceremonially dressed, holding the magic staff which could have been construed for a feathered oar, the picture itself taken somewhere on an unknown lakeshore by a stone formation which juts out in a shape of a boat.

The music on Ghost Tears, Hung and the title track is mostly tender, caressing and very chamber-like, from the sound standpoint. It numbs the pain, if you had any, and calls for quiet cuddling. I could use it to rock my kids to sleep, like I did with Yeha-Noha Native American music collection years ago. The kids would fall asleep while I would receive some much needed peace. The strum of electroacoustic guitars is all enveloping, without many crescendos, so you would have to imagine your own, although cello touches in Ghost Tears are timely placed to create unsettlement. The only track which is somewhat different is Foregone, which with its added bass and percussion is more full-blown and does kick up the dust. The enchantress is still singing, but there are sirens going off in the distance, and the whole atmosphere is of a Druid procession gone from steady to almost menacing.

If you like darkwave, the music by Aesma Daeva, Nechochwen or especially Divine Circles, due to the female creator behind the act, you should enjoy Darkher. One thing certain - The Kingdom Field is full of spirit. Which one is a mystery you will need to discover for yourself.