Duncan Evans - Bird of Prey (2013)
Prophecy Records
Review by Wayne Simmons
When Duncan Evans, aka Henry Hyde
Bronsdon from the Gentlemen's Club of A Forest Of Stars,
signed a 5 album solo deal, the end product must have surprised fans.
Leeds-based A Forest of Stars is an experimental
affair, mixing prog, doom, black metal and a whole lot more. There’s just about
everything in the pot; violin, flutes, synthesizers, dirge guitar and an almost
defiantly anti-melodic vocal.
Evans, as a solo artist, brings a very
traditional folk sound to the table, reminiscent of Christy Moore or Roy Harper,
and about a million miles from black metal. It’s like he’s taken everything
Forest of Stars is about and flipped it on its ass.
Debut single, BIRD OF PREY, released by
German label Prophecy, is testament to this. And here’s the cool thing: it
works a treat.
The title track is quite minimalist, mostly
European in feel. It’s an upbeat track, all finger plucking acoustic and
bouncy, melodic vocals. Sure, it’s got its plaintive edge. There’s an echo of
Southern fried slide guitar, and a fee minor keys in the mix, but there’s no
dirge. Nothing doomy or black at all, not a sniff.
The second track, SHE AND I MUST PART, is
even more restrained. Almost country in feel, with a more soulful vocal from
Evans layered over an even more prominent slide guitar.
Duncan Evans may not convince all of his
Forest of Stars fanbase with his debut solo single, but that hardly matters.
There’s a whole new fanbase waiting for him, folks who wouldn’t know black
metal from hair metal, but know a good tune when they hear it. With BIRD OF
PREY, Evans is treading new ground as a songwriter and musician and doing it
with integrity.
BIRD
OF PREY is available now on limited edition 7” single from
Prophecy Productions.
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