Album review: FAUN

There is a thin line between cheesiness and enchantment. It’s one that German neofolk ensemble FAUN have ridden hard for almost three decades now, fishing inspiration from the rustic mystery of the medieval age but never relinquishing their supremely listenable songwriting. Stacking instruments as obscure as the hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, lute, flute, bowl fiddle and harp alongside modern synths and polyphonic vocals, their sound could be as dense as Scandic overlords Wardruna and Heilung. Instead, they prefer the poppier side of paganism: an airier alternative to fellow Teutonic heroes Corvus Corax and Saltatio Mortis.

Twelfth album Hex is a tribute. Under the direction of bandleader Oliver Satyr – ‘Magister Artium of Medieval Philology’ – these 12 tracks explore the history of witches, fe