Twice cursed, once at birth and again in life, Ramelan, god of the dead, reveals an epic story through his songs.
His parents command life and death, and so Ramelan is tasked with the souls of the afterlife. In hell, that is. For part of Ramelan’s curse is that he is trapped where he does not want to be.
Ramelan has watched the souls create the circumstances for their own types of hell, while he just shepherds them where they go. Most continue to create their own misery. But the god has seen other souls leave the world for the light, and he yearns to find his own paradise beyond the caverns of hell.
From his garden deep in the underworld, Ramelan weaves his stories with his desert bass and expressive voice, performed by Matthew Rondeau. For the album, Matthew also plays the violin, hand drums, foot percussion, and a handmade combination of bells and gong. Other effects and sounds, including a didgeridoo, become part of Ramelan’s soundscape.
“The Curse of Ramelan” is only the first part of a greater story, his epic Ramelan Trilogy. While the other two parts remain unrecorded, Ramelan has recently returned from a decade of death—with a new conviction in his music and his message.