So what's in a name?
Petrichor (pronounced /ˈpɛtrɨkər/; from Greek petros "stone" + ichor the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology) is the name of the scent of rain on dry earth.
The term was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature. In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth.
- From Wikipedia.
"The diverse nature of the host materials has led us to propose the name 'petrichor' for this apparently unique odor which can be regarded as an 'ichor' or 'tenuous essence' derived from rock or stone (hence the petr...)."
- Quoted from book, from this webpage.
Petrychor is an amazing, and most definitely promising project. I originally had alot more to say, but alas I lost the post I nearly posted yesterday. This is but a shadow of the detail I went into.
So from artwork and from the name at least, a strong appreciation of nature would be an understatement. This is universally categorised as Cascadian BM. But the music is something that has really stood out to alot of people. The lack of a physical release of their debut EP, it being electronically released online only, thas made it inelligle for a metal-archives profile. But people really have raved about this band. Some have said it's renewed their interest in BM, it's something interesting, something new.
They're an absolute standout, and at the very least, it's one of the best USBM projects and releases of 2010.
The music composed here manifests in an incredible mix of ambient/atmospheric, BM, but possibly most interestingly, folk, reminiscent to some degree for me at least, of Panopticon, such as in Collapse. But in a very different way, and very much their own.
I should give credit that I first discovered this band from the RABM blog, but saw it worthy of repeating. Unfortunately there is not alot of information around about this group.
I put this release up there with the releases that have really entralled me the most, amongst Altar of Plagues' White Tomb, and the recent Fell Voices/Ash Borer split. And I look for to future releases, especially the apparent up coming full-length.
I highly reccommend.
Official Website (you can download Dryad EP for free here)
Petrychor Myspace Page
Album Name: Dryad
Band: Petrychor
Genre: Folk/Ambient/Atmospheric/Black Metal
Year: 2010
Country: USA
Track Listing:
| 1. | Dryad (I Make My Home) | 10:55 | |||||
| 2. | Gamma Leonis | 08:09 | |||||
| 3. | ...of Salt and Sky | 04:08 |
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