The Lunatic Soul journey has been a fascinating one, starting out as a side-project by its creator, Mariusz Duda, and exploring a more minimalist approach to music in contrast to the heavier progressive-influenced metal of his day job as bassist and vocalist in the band Riverside.
However, the Lunatic Soul project seems to have taken on a life of its own with a further six albums, and the lines blurring between both bands as Lunatic Soul’s music evolved and adapted to Mariusz’ emotional and lyrical needs. At times it’s been the darkest of journeys, exploring fragmenting relationships and the consequences of grief and bereavement, with the music becoming colder, shrouded in a cloud of industrial-tinged electronica.
And yet the music is always compelling, rich in texture and layering, with some of the best audio mixing results on offer to the discerning listener. As the music seeps out of your hi-fi speakers, it quietly and subtly envelopes the whole room, and draws the listener in – even more so on headphones. Mariusz and his sound team have been honing their craft with each successive album, and these results are on a par with the work of more familiar names like Steven Wilson and Bruce (Pineapple Thief) Soord.
However, Through Shaded Woods marks a nuanced departure for the Lunatic Soul project, edging away from the industrial darkness towards a brighter, more positive embrace of nature. The electronic instruments have been consigned to the darker recesses, and Mariusz has turned to more organic forms of sound, playing all the instruments himself.
To quote the promotional text on the Burning Shed website, “I think I have always wanted to create an album steeped in nature and woodlands. These bring to my mind freedom, breathing and a dance ritual of coming back to nature, so I wanted the album to include such ritualistic primal dances, and shamanic moods.“
The end result is one of his most fully realised works yet, brimming with ideas and details, but self-contained and focussed on taking the listener through the protagonist’s journey from shades of grey to shades of green. Even the artwork reflects this transition, with the familiar LS symbol against a stark background on the outer cover, while inside, we are greeted with paintings of woodlands and a celebration of nature, with one of the closing images being that of a figure on their knees, arms open and embracing freedom. A fitting motif to reflect Mariusz’ creative and emotional release with this album. From: https://momentstransition.wordpress.com/2020/11/16/lunatic-soul-through-shaded-woods-2020/
