DARKHER has released the bitter-sweet video single ‘Where the Devil Waits’ taken from the beloved Northern English doom act’s sophomore album “The Buried Storm”, which has been slated for release on April 15.
The clip ‘Where the Devil Waits’ was filmed by videographer Kathryn Pogue within the Victorian gardens and grounds of Muncaster Castle in Cumbria and it perfectly captures the equal measure of painfully raw beauty and utter sadness that mark ‘Where the Devil Waits’.
The song ‘Where the Devil Waits’ relates to the shadows within and the attachments to what can become destructive. It is about empowerment and light. This particular line ‘here I bury the storm, in blinding light’ served as my definite inspiration for “The Buried Storm”, the album’s title.
Darkness treads light as a feather. The voice of despair gently wafts through the air. Delicate pain wrapped in radiant beauty pierces the heart slowly yet without hesitation. The sinister yet beguiling images that DARKHER aka Jayn Maiven paints with her ethereal vocals, guitars, and added strings conjure iridescent cinematic scenes in which it becomes hard to tell whether there lies beauty in darkness or if it is the other way around.
With her sophomore full-length “The Buried Storm”, the guitarist, composer, lyricist, and producer has clearly succeeded in even improving the beloved alchemic musical formula that was firmly established on DARKHER‘s debut album “Realms” in 2016. Her mostly eerie and at times even outright sinister sonic storytelling comes refined on every level and with sharpened contrasts that reflect the ongoing learning process of their creator.
DARKHER was conceived as the sole brainchild and solo project of Northern English singer and guitarist Jayn Maiven in 2012. The dark and melancholic yet also massively heavy sound on the self-titled debut EP “Darkher” (2013) combined with the distinct vocals of the shy pre-Raphaelite beauty caused an audible buzz – particularly in the doom scene and brought DARKHER a quick record deal, which led to the following EP “The Kingdom Field” (2014) appearing via Prophecy Productions.
Despite not even having an album out, DARKHER was invited to prestigious festivals such as Roadburn in Tilburg, The Netherlands, and Prophecy Fest in the Cave of Balve, where the English delivered widely celebrated performances. In 2016, the highly anticipated debut full-length “Realms” was finally released to much praise from critics and fans alike. Press compared DARKHER’s music with a wide range of highly individual acts such as CHELSEA WOLFE, ESBEN AND THE WITCH, SÓLSTAFIR, LOREENA McKENNITT, and PORTISHEAD.
In the meantime, Jayn’s long-time drummer Christopher Smith, who already contributed to earlier releases, live shows, and again on “The Buried Storm” has been added as a permanent member to the line-up of DARKHER.
“The Buried Storm” gives shape to the darkness lurking at the edge of consciousness, hidden from plain sight but patiently biding its time to strike out at the heart. DARKHER has delivered another frightening masterpiece that easily transcends musical boundaries with its broad appeal to friends of dark sounds regardless of genre. “The Buried Storm” captivates its listeners with deceptive sweetness – only to bind them tightly within a thorn-spiked nocturnal beauty forevermore.
You can pre-order “The Buried Storm”, HERE.
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Photos: (c) Kathryn Pogue
Nicolae Baldovin
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