Voice of the Ancestors

Reviewed By  Janet Mawdesley       April 12, 2019

 

Artist – Greyhawk   

           Distributor:         

           Released:             February 2019

           Running Time:    48:08

           Website:    https://deepspacedisc.com/voice-of-the-ancestors/          

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Sombre, beautiful and deeply spiritual, the music of Grayhawk has been woven in tribute to his beloved son Christopher Rainbow Dragon, who at a very tender age, lost his battle with paediatric cancer, plunging his soul into the darkness of night; a night which has born forth in love and dedication, this intricate and deeply felt album, Voice of the Ancestors, a work which completes the Shamanic Trilogy.

The eight tracks that make up this triumphant conclusion to a series of works commenced with Sharman Journey, moving on to Blissful magic- Spiral of the Celtic Mysteries, now concludes the circle in profound and deeply spiritual resonance, with Voices of the Ancestors.

Transcendent Soul reflects the deep moments of grief, soul searching and final acceptance bought about with the departing of a beloved child. Deeply personal and beautiful this piece is an intimate acceptance of the ‘sacred deathing experience’, from father to son.

Inspired by the Banteay Srei Temple, part of the Angkor Wat World Heritage site in Cambodia, The Banteay Srei Temple evolved in tribute to the soft red sandstone of the building and the feminine ’devatas’ – the Goddess’s who dwell therein. A fitting tribute with the distinctive sound of the Dan Bau and Concert Harp combining with Flute to create a rather ethereal, drifting piece.

Voice of the Ancestors, the title track, is a world fusion compilation with an intriguing ambience that threads throughout the piece. The rich vocals of Randy Crenshaw and Windwalker Dorn introduce a timeless element to be found at so many of the ancient sites. Once again Angkor Wat proved to the inspiration behind this rich, evocative compilation.

The centrepiece of the work is Peace Prayer, presented in several versions; the first one a short Capella titled Peace Prayer A’ Cappella features beautiful vocal harmonies, which is a finalist in the Peace Song Awards for 2019. The full 10:11 minute version Peace Prayer arrives in vibrant, majestic flow with a massive multilingual blending of vocals, reiterating the prayer so beautifully sung in the previous track. Spoken throughout in English, Hebrew, Farsi, and Arabic the languages blend to create a powerful, spiritual, incantation.

The lovely Ambient Meditation is once again a wonderful mix of instruments developed in Voice of the Ancestors but taken one step further into an almost ‘improv’ piece, which is light and joyful, refreshing after the strength of Peace Prayer.

A short version of Peace Prayer has been created for those who simply wish for a short, powerful meditation and prayer which is the absolutely perfect conclusion to an enriching and deeply spiritual journey.