Saline Grace present sophisticated and diverse arrangements without equal on ‘Blacksmith’s Fire’ releasing a tension-filled album as if made from one piece. As on their last albums, Saline Grace place value on their familiar, almost exclusively acoustic instruments, which in their interaction, strictly renounce modern styles of music creating a sound that seems to come from between the 1950s and the 1980s.
The extraordinarily filigree, not uncommonly classical guitar techniques and fingerstyle parts, the voluminous mandolin-like ornaments and Ennio Moriccone-like twang sounds are recognisably Ricardo Hoffmann’s, who knows to create pictorial synaesthesias raising nightly panoramas from imaginatively enraptured roadmovies or the imagery of wild and near-natural sceneries. Subtly woven into a fragile sound stage, mainly consisting of piano, organ, concertina, banjo, classical string arrangements as well as its deeply resonating bass and those jazzy drums, the listener is inevitably getting entangled in a sound experience that is drawing marvellously attention to singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Hoffmann’s emotional baritone. Hoffmann’s poetry struggles with the great issues of anthropological philosophy, where his protagonists act full of symbolism in front of surreal, near-natural sceneries. He questions the place of man in nature and the progressing estrangement in their artificial environment, their culture as well and quarrels with the all-embracing timeline in our human existence scrutinizing mankind’s forward- or backward-looking behaviour.
'Blacksmith's Fire' shows Saline Grace powerful and on their highest level, performing with virtuosity, vigorous dynamics and haunting melancholy at the same time. This album impresses with the diversity of its arrangements, variety of vocals and its uniquely captured atmosphere, captivating the listener not only by wonderful melodies, but also by Ricardo Hoffmann’s distinctive voice, who conveys deep melancholy coupled with hidden rage, solitude and, in very few instances, hope as well.

Saline Grace continue on their very own paths, setting great store by the use of almost exclusively acoustic instruments that seem to hail from an antique musical instruments shop. The extraordinarily filigree guitar style with its wistful slide techniques, mandolin-like ornaments and fingerstyle parts is recognisably Ricardo Hoffmann’s, who knows to create pictorial synaesthesias, raising nightly panoramas from imaginatively enraptured roadmovies. Subtly woven into a dusty sound stage, mainly consisting of piano, organ, concertina, banjo, violin, accentuated drums, not uncommonly played with brushes, as well as Ines Hoffmann’s deeply resonating bass, the listener is inevitably getting entangled in a mystic and sinister atmosphere, drawing marvellously attention to singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ricardo Hoffmann’s emotional baritone. Among personal contents, his protagonists act full of symbolism in front of surreal, near-natural sceneries and reflect frequently anthropological backgrounds, dealing with mankind’s estrangement from nature and within their artificial environment, their culture, too. The album shows Saline Grace more powerful and on their highest level, performing with virtuosity, vigorous dynamics and withdrawn melancholy at the same time. Indeed, ‘Fog Mountain’ impresses with diversity of its arrangements, variety of vocals and its uniquely captured atmosphere, captivating the listener not only by catchy melodies, but also by Ricardo Hoffmann’s distinctive voice, who conveys deep melancholy coupled with hidden rage, solitude and, in very few instances, hope as well.

With their debut album Saline Grace present claustrophobicly profound songs about desperation and the blackest depths of misery, candle-lit rooms full of tragedies, forlorn sinners and deceptive roads which are surrounded by broken telegraph poles, low-hanging wires, sadness and peculiarly grown trees, leading into nowhere and failure. They also tells us about the human’s eternal yearning for deliverance and his hope for God’s doubtful mercy. On “Border Town Shades” an extraordinarily filigree guitar style has been woven into antiques such as piano, organ, banjo and marimba, building up together with a powerful bass, admonishing bells and stylishly played drums a remarkable mixture of Americana, psychedelic and folklore of old Eastern Europe which creates an oppressively sinister atmosphere. Within the centre of this soundscape stands ominously, full of urgency and often with amazing warmth the marvellously narrative voice of Ricardo Hoffmann, who, like creeping out of the human psyche’s repressed depths, knows to celebrate his fateful tales and philosophic poems.