"Alternative" is a word that, applied to music, has become practically meaningless. When the term was first coined in the 80s, it was quite easy to determine what was "alternative" and what was not, but after Nirvana came along, the lines started to become blurred. Suits at record labels started coopting the term, seeing its value in marketing to disaffected teenagers, and soon bands like Live and Bush were being described that way, and not long after soulless corporate rockers like Nickelback and Creed were also being referred to that way, apparently without any irony.

Wovenhand is a band that, here in 2009, is unambiguously alternative. And by that, I don't mean that they're a throwback to early R.E.M, but rather that they embody that same spirit of creativity, originality, and just sticking it to conventional definitions of what "music" should sound like. If I had to apply a single genre label to this music, it was probably be "alt-country", but there is enough going on here that every track probably deserves a different definition.

For instance, 'Iron Feather' trawls the depths of goth folk to produce something that sounds like what I imagine medieval century monks would come up with if they were to have access to electric instruments and a 21st century studio, 'White Knuckle Grip' sounds like an out of control carnival sideshow, complete with hollering preacher-like vocals, 'Quiet Night of Quiet Stars' is fractured lounge-pop, and 'The Beautiful Axe' is a good, solid, old fashioned rock song that starts proceedings admirably.

If this record has a fault it's that it's relatively inaccessible; even if you like a particular song, chances are that the next one isn't going to sound even remotely similar. This may make it difficult for casual listeners to get into the record, and they won't be helped along by the almost invariably dark imagery and apocalyptic religious references that make up the album's lyrical content.

However, for listeners who can penetrate the generous lashings of Old Testament symbolism and goth folk that surround this album, this could be a seriously rewarding album. The music is difficult, but if you work with it long enough, you'll catch glimpses of the fractured beauty lying far beneath its surface. It's a quality alternative to all the other manufactured music out there.