Neural Pantheon is a storyteller. And like all storytellers worth their salt, he is masterful at finding something at the heart of what might sound like ancient myths and folkloric tales that is timeless, poignant, and remains relevant through the ages.
“The Merchant’s Last Coin” muses on what we might be prepared to part with to try to achieve success, how much we are willing to gamble on the possibility of achieving our goals. Here, the message is wrapped up in a parable of a merchant negotiating with Mammon, the demon force of greed itself; in musical terms, the same archetypal word of caution that underlies the story of Robert Johnson selling his soul at the crossroads for musical skill and recognition.
Blending a dark folk vibe with swathes of alt-rock energy, arabesque motifs with western musical orthodoxy, it is at turns delicate and anthemic, spacious and ornate, powerful and poised.
Taken from the album The Nameless Hour, this is a fantastic toe in the water experience for an album full of such brilliant blends of then and now, of genre hopping and originality.
