ALBUM REVIEW: Chants From Another Place – Jonathan Hultén

Jonathan Hultén is a name you probably haven’t heard before – it’s likely you haven’t heard of his main band either, Swedish heavyweights TRIBULATION, or his illustration and graphic designer hustle under the guise of Necromantic Art. Make no mistake though, this man is one talented cookie, and if further proof were at all needed his debut album, Chants From Another Place, came out on Friday via KScope Records, the follow up to 2017’s The Dark Night of the Soul EP that showed a lot of promise.

None of us need reminding about the turmoil that currently engulfs the world, so it comes with a large degree of satisfaction that Chants From Another Place offers up something that is needed more than ever right now; peace. Aside from the instrumental Outskirts, this is an entirely acoustic affair, laid back and gentle. It doesn’t crash into you, it flows around you with serene grace and care, a delicate listening experience that will relax even the most stressful of minds.

Opening tracks A Dance in the Road and the previously released The Mountain are a perfect introduction, easy on the ear and easily seducing you into calmer waters. Next Big Day has a tad more grit and urgency about it but remains reined in so as not to spoil the journey, whilst The Call to Adventure brings in elements of neo-folk that will appease those who enjoy the strains of WARDRUNA and DANHEIM.

Another big point of the record is Hultén himself, who has a voice somewhere between honey and melted chocolate. It’s a warm, silky croon that hits its peak on penultimate track The Roses – incidentally, the only track to utilise drums – but is gorgeous throughout regardless. There are also a number of tracks that do away with lyrics entirely, instead focusing on chanting like Holy Woods and the wholly a cappella Ostborjka Brudlat. It’s incredibly powerful to feel so consumed by so little in terms of instrumentation and is another layer on top of this incredibly deep yet stripped back affair. By the time the dreamy Deep Night has faded away, you’d be forgiven for wondering exactly where the last forty minutes have gone as you are brought back to reality; that is, if you haven’t fallen asleep.

Without any doubt, this is a record that has come at the right time. With such turbulence on the planet, the ability to lie down and forget about all of the troubles around us is a luxury that needs to be sought out, and Chants From Another Place is the perfect soundtrack for such an activity. Listen to it without any distraction and marvel in its beauty; there will be very few records released in 2020 that will bring about a similar experience.

Rating: 9/10

Chants From Another Place is set for release on March 13th via Kscope.

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