Asian folk music meets European black metal - 迷魂殿 - 哭泣的鄂伦春

One-man projects have a quite negative reputation for a good reason, especially if they are related to black metal. Most of these projects are heavily under-produced, annoyingly repetitive and lacking talent. This isn't the case for Mi Hun Dian which translates to Ecstasy Hall. Obviously, this debut record has a few flaws as well. The bass guitar is either absent or inaudible. The drums sound dry and artificial. The orchestral sounds lack dynamics. The production isn't horrible but could be more organic to make the different instruments stand out even more. However, this record also has many positive elements.

First of all, it develops an enchanting and epic atmosphere with decently employed folk instrument sounds, soft choirs and occasional sounds of nature like rain and thunder. This evokes a multitude of images on my mind and makes me want to watch Chinese wu xia movies. The dynamic piano play is filled with emotion and maybe the most impressive aspect of the album. 

The guitar riffs might sound a little bit mellow but this is a welcome change to similar projects with extremely unclean, noisy and distorted guitar sounds. Some riffs are decent but overall the guitar play doesn't take too much space and rather harmonizes with the keyboard sounds. A few melodic guitar solos add interesting soundscapes in the instrumental tracks. The same could be said about the vocals. They sound sharp and powerful but never take too much space but are employed very precisely and efficiently. One can't here them in every single song but they are rather employed as an additional instrument that adds a gloomy atmosphere with oomph.

The record has great flow from start to finish. If I had to point out any songs, I would go for the mid-paced blackened folk metal track ''River Yimin'' and the atmospheric instrumental ''Solon's Call'' with its dreamy bell and keyboard sounds accompanied by sounds of rain and thunder.

Overall, this release is often closer to ambient, folk and especially neofolk music than black metal but this isn't a bad thing. This record combines Asian folk music with occasionally employed sinister European black metal. The album's connection to nature makes it stand out and I could see the project sign with a label like Prophecy Productions. Mi Hun Dian deserves to be heard if you like imaginative neofolk music.

Final rating: 80%