Osi and the Jupiter are a

neo-folk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrument ...

band from Kent, Ohio, United States, consisting of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sean Kratz and

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

ist Kakaphonix. The band is named after Kratz's two

German Shepherd The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for ...

dogs, Osiris and Jupiter. They formed in 2015 and have put out five releases including 2016's ''Halls of the Wolf'', 2020's ''Appalachia'' and 2021's ''Stave.'' They have released multiple records through German underground folk and metal label Eisenwald, including a collaboration album, ''Songs of Origin and Spirit'', with other bands on the label.

History and Style

Reviewers have described Osi and the Jupiter's sound as " Paganistic folk with flourishes of orchestral splendour," and "authentic, beautiful recordings that pay homage to traditional mysticism." Kratz' has said in interviews that just a couple of his musical influences are American singer-songwriter

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

, Italian

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

band

Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...

and experimental Norwegian group Ulver. Thematically, Osi and the Jupiter records focus on "the spiritual journey of connecting to nature" and "folklore from around the world." Earlier records from the duo were compared the Nordic-folk sounds of

Wardruna Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy Fay Hella. They are dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions, and make significant use of Nordic historical ...

and

Heilung Heilung is an experimental folk music band made up of members from Denmark, Norway, and Germany. Their music is based on texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples of the Iron Age, and Viking Age. Heilung describe their music as "amplifie ...

. However, after 2020's ''Appalachia'' (named for the Appalachia region of the USA) they began to lean into more Anglo folk music traditions. "Appalachia, these hills, have a mythical and old calling to them," said Kratz when asked about the album in an interview. In 2021, Osi and the Jupiter put out their forth release - ''Stave''. The album title was inspired by galdrastafir, or

Icelandic magical staves Icelandic magical staves () are sigils that were credited with supposed magical effect preserved in various Icelandic grimoires, such as the Galdrabók, dating from the 17th century and later. Table of magical staves See also * Galdr A (pl ...

. Reviewers called the album ''"''reflective, sorrowful, sage and soothing" and "an emotive and intriguing listen."

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Ohio American folk musical groups Modern pagan musical groups