[Review] A Journey Through Hopes and Dreams: ‘Chants from Another Place’ by Jonathan Hultén ‣ CVLTARTES

I’ve been waited for this album since I first heard Jonathan’s voice; so calming and soothing a perfect match with the guitar riffs, some kind of music you can listen as a background for your dreams. The cover art for ‘Chants From Another Place‘ is a ‘self-penned portrait’, reflecting a smooth melancholy found within the songs on the album and an insight into Jonathan’s unique image of self. Reading some Jonathan’s words what he said towards the album “will thematically take you through landscapes of ecstasy, passing mountains of death and rebirth, sailing seas of adventure, traversing wastelands of despair and forests of myth. It is an inward journey and only time can tell which places will be visited under its duration. It is a tale of spiritual death and rebirth”.

What can I say about this album? Let me see if I can find the proper words to describe something that is more close to perfection than everything I have listened to lately… I can’t even decide which one is my favourite song from this masterpiece but I think I will choose ‘Where devils weep‘; it has the theme of letting things go, it’s a song about growing up, maturing and changing your points of view also it’s about becoming free. I personally love the soothing voice recorded on this.

The 3rd song is most probably the ‘cheerful’ one from the album, with a more catchy sound and lyrics ‘A Dance in the Road‘ is an excellent folk ballad that revels in its acoustic style. With such mess around us, the ability to lie down and forget about all the troubles is a luxury that needs to be sought out and the acappella ‘Ostborjka Brudlat‘ a song which focuses on chanting without any lyrics, probably stands together with one of my favourites from the album.

The music was like a roller coaster of emotions, going from dark and disquitting passing by mythical and primal and finally turning comforting and warm. The whole album is some kind of a mysterious one, with an eerie vibe and the whole personal note makes it special, emotional and probably it’s gonna be one of the best releases of this doubtful year. A delicate listening experience that will relax even the most stressful of minds. No doubt that I am going to give a 10/10 for this masterpiece.