Nebelhexe, which in English means fog-witch, is the new project of Andrea Haugen, the artist behind the project called Hagalaz’Rudenance. Any Rudenance fan will be able to figure out the style of music that Andrea Haugen has chosen to serve.

For the ones that are not acquainted with the band, Nebelhexe is a successful mixture of Ambient, Folk and Electronic music. No, do not be troubled as to whether those three different music styles can combine, because the perfect example of such a mixture is the band Dead Can Dance, and is also one of the most unique and successful bands in the history of music. Being a fan of Dead Can Dance and also a great admirer of artists such as Loreena McKennitt, I couldn’t wait to see what "Laguz – Within the Lake" would have to offer to me.

The first signs were quite promising: "Totems" is a nice Folk song, which will introduce you to this magical journey in the world of fantasy and magic. The one song that managed to win me over from the very first moment that I heard it is "Laguz-Within the Lake". The smart use of folk instruments in addition to a very emotional vocal performance by Andrea, make this song not only the best composition of this eleven track CD, but also a point of reference for every artist that will be inspired to create something similar in the future.

Things only get better with "My Visual World", who’s piano melodies almost brought tears to my eyes. Andrea does not possess the best technically trained voice, but this is not the issue here. Nebelhexe’s music is the attempt to present emotions through music, and the result is totally successful.

From "Celtic Crows" (the fourth track of the album) and onwards, the Gothic elements take the lead. I had my doubts as to whether this change of direction would manage to keep my interest going, but that was only until I listened to the first notes of "Reverse". Next comes a nice cover of Lene Lovich’s "Bird Song". "Raven Night – Nightflight Mix" brings the return of traditional folk instruments, and the album finishes with two more interesting compositions "Sleeping Beauty" and "Touch of Morpheus". The final product will contain a video for the track "Wake to Wither".

I really appreciate what Andrea Haugen is trying to do with the Nebelhexe project. I believe that "Laguz – Within the Lake" is a very interesting album, which accepts no limitations by its nature. I am pretty confident, though, that this is the first step towards something much greater by this very talented artist. I will certainly be checking out every Nebelhexe release from now on.

****

Review by John Stefanis

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly