Since the earliest days of And Now The Owls Are Smiling, this unique musical entity has captured the essence of the Norfolk countryside and explored the chambers of a heart awash with melancholy, the two elements bound together in a curious beauty. With the austere tones of The Brooding EP, the cold radiance of the Desolation album and the Ignis Fatuus EP, entwined in mystery and reaching into the past, Nre, the man behind the magic of And Now The Owls Are Smiling, carved out the foundations for all his music could become. Now the silent hunter has taken flight across the wetlands, along the coast paths, through the forests and into hidden memory, summoning the ghosts of broken hearts and wounded souls with the sounds of The Comforting Grip Of Misery…
This new album takes everything that And Now The Owls Are Smiling has offered before and delves deeper, reaches higher and dreams harder. The visions are brighter and the emotions more intense, overwhelming in their potency. The guitars rush like waves onto the shore, winds through the outstretched arms of ancient oaks…or the flood of sadness upon waking as dreams fade to nothing.
Enchanting guest vocals from Linds Bestwicke bring the plaintive folk song of Winter’s Elegy to vibrant life, while fellow guest, Steve Blackwood, adds a shimmering enchantment to The Comforting Grip Of Misery with his guitar work. The most remarkable power of Nre’s work though remains in the songs’ ability to draw genuine emotion from the listeners. There is a shocking, painful beauty in each note, as the music draws out the most treasured, most feared memories, tumbling you back into the poignant and important moments of your existence.
Nre has handed The Comforting Grip Of Misery into the tender embrace of Clobber Records and on November 1st it will fly from their nest on soft and silent wings, casting its shadows of perfect sadness on the hearts of all who glimpse its passing. Watch for it at dusk and open yourself to its magic.
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