What is Apocalyptic Folk?
1.
Apocalyptic folk ( Neo folk, Uber folk,Folk noir )is a term and phrase employed to describe a genre of folk-music which deals with dark themes of decay, decline, and/or destruction of Western civilizations foundations. This genre of music often, but not always has a underlying social philosophy. Other terms for Apocalyptic-Folk that have been applied to this genre of music are Folk-Noir, Uber-folk, and Neo-Folk. All of these terms are used to distinguish it from the protest-folk of the 1960s and seventies. much. if not all which had social messages of the political left and its a various protestings. Apocalyptic folk see's the world as a place notlong to last in any semblance which previously or currently has been known. It has a deceidly mellenialism to much of it's messages. Often occult themes, ecological themes, right-wing and nationalist themes, and themes of western mythology and legends are also found or invoked in this genre.
Apocalyptic Folk Bands such as Changes, Death in June, Current 93, Sol Invectus and others of this musical type probably best exemplify the genre. Prophecy, a German based label has recently ( 2005 ) released a compendium of such music and it's roots. It is a 4 CD compilation called " Looking For Europe ", the title of which is taken from a key phrase from the lyrics of a ballad ( of the same name ) written by Tony Wakeford of the band Sol Invictus.
The compilation comes with a liner notes book of 100 pages
half in German and half translated into English which discusses such groups and strives to define the genre's attributes and themes. There is also a full length book
( German language ) from which the liner notes draw their source.
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