ORPLID are the lyrical and musical embodiment of the German Neofolk scene. With their eyes firmly on the past, the duo consisting of poet and singer Uwe Nolte as well as composer and multi-instrumentalist Frank Machau joined forces in 1996 in the Eastern German town of Halle at the river Saale.
"Deus Vult" (Latin: “As God wills”), the infamous motto of the Christian knights, sometimes used to justify ghastly massacres, originates from the First Crusade in 1096. ORPLID chose it deliberately as the title of their seventh full-length to illustrate a prominent motif running through their work: fighting and dying for a cause.
Inspired by dramatic life stories throughout history regardless of origin or ideology, Uwe Nolte composed poems about Czech student Jan Palach, who torched himself in protest against the Soviet occupation, communist revolutionary Tamara Bunke as well as the Evangelical minister and physician Kurt Reuber, who painted the famous "Stalingrad Madonna" during World War II.
Musically, ORPLID once again demonstrate their wide range of influences and modes of expression that go beyond the artistic shackles many Neofolk outfits are content to wear. As if to stress this point, the East Germans invited Katrin Lindner, an iconic rock singer in the former German Democratic Republic, to contribute her voice on the track 'Dunkle Stunde' and implemented neoclassical elements via pulsing electronics. Completed by an almost gothic reinterpretation of their own classic 'Das Abendland', the album also features a cover of Neil Young's 1975 masterpiece 'Cortez the Killer', another statement of intent: "The song is about greed and what happens if we forget what is inherent in us", Nolte points out. "The present time suffers from alienation – and we are the antidote!"
Tracklist:
01. Ouvertüre
02. Abend loht über dem Tale
03. ...
04. Jan Palach
05. Madonna von Stalingrad
06. Dunkle Stunde
07. Ich sah dich Flöte spielen
08. ...
09. Tamara Bunke
10. Ich bin!
11. Purpurne Stimmen
12. ...
13. Bald kommt der Krieg in dein Haus
14. Sommer ging verirrt, geheim
15. ...
16. Deutschland 2016
17. Das Abendland
18. Cortez
Deus Vult is available as a hardcover CD book (18x18cm, 60 pages) and on vinyl - exclusively as part of the 12LP box set Legatum.
Legatum (Latin: "Legacy") is the title of a massive wooden box set with 12 LPs including Orplid’s entire discography, with the majority of works released on vinyl for the first time ever. It contains all of the group's five studio albums, including their new work Deus Vult, and all EPs, alongside 16 (!) additional tracks, partly rare (compilation contributions, bonus tracks), partly unreleased.
https://prophecy.lnk.to/Orplid-2020
https://www.facebook.com/orplid.official
About Prophecy Productions
Prophecy Productions are an international label and were originally founded by their owner Martin Koller in Germany in 1996. From the beginning, the label has the declared aims of providing a dedicated home for eerie emotional music and to offer long-term collaborations to artists signing into the family. This concept has generated a roster displaying a stylistic emphasis on dark music from different genres such as metal and rock, alternative, and folk. Signees on the label are generally characterised by a strong artistic vision, which is reflected in premium physical products. Prophecy Productions is best known for artists such as Empyrium, Alcest, Arcturus, Tenhi, Dool, and The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices feat. Lisa Gerrard. Prophecy Productions are a part of the independent media group SPKR.