You are in a mystical forest somewhere in a timeless European land. You encounter dancing villagers in towns along a well-trodden path as you venture the countryside. There are festivals of white and all of the friendly townspeople celebrate for any number of reasons as they welcome you to join them for an evening of merriment and mead. The musical instruments tell tales of history and heritage.

Suddenly you realize the music of your journey seems strangely familiar. The tunes of THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT's latest album, "Holdrejtek" provide the audio backdrop for such a legendary trek. How appropriate! This powerful Folk/Pagan Metal duo from Hungary has crafted a wonderfully mellow mesh of Celtic instruments that create incredible imagery.

As stated in their website biography: "THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT invites the listener into the moss-grown heart of the forest, into the emerald world of ageless, sylvan realms, weaving a web where threads of ancient mysticism combine with dreamy atmospheres, where World Music acquires a bewitching pagan aura."

It's fairly obvious that the orchestration and composition of this music will leave the listener enchanted and spell-stricken. There are no distorted electric guitars or double bass blast-beats to be found, nor is there any implication that any were ever thought of during production of this album, as this is not Heavy Metal in any sense of the term. This is music for the lover of Classical Metal. Amazing and beautiful, each song has its own sound, and the recordings are crisp enough that you would think you were in a concert hall with magnificent echoes.

I personally loved the dark overtones of the melodies, the male and female vocals, and the imaginary adventure onto which this absolutely splendid concoction of instruments propelled me. Best enjoyed with friends in a circle, or during moments of peaceful introspectiveness. I'll be looking forward to THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT's next album, but I'll have "Holdrejtek" to enjoy forever.<