I always had an inkling that what I had been searching for all my life had to be out there somewhere: I just didn't have the faintest idea where and how to find it.

And so I searched everywhere, scaling the highest heights and experiencing the deepest falls, because what I thought of being lasting and true each time turned out to be just an illusion...

But I was dreaming of a pair of brown eyes that would one day look at me with warmth and love and in which I would find everything I had always been looking for - and then it finally happened: my dream came true, and Ayuma and I have now been together for more than 18 years.

Our next song is going to be released around Samhain 2024.

To be honest, I have long since given up on humanity: when I look at our continent of Europe, I am sad to say that we are not prepared to take the long-needed steps to prevent the ongoing climate catastrophe, even though parts of the planet are already becoming uninhabitable due to increasing drought, while other parts are being devastated by floods, torrential rain and tempests.

Our oceans are choking on plastic waste and global warming continues unabated, while we continue to fantasise like drug addicts about eternal economic growth, when it should have long been clear to everyone that there is no such thing as unlimited growth on a planet with finite resources — especially not if there continues to be uncontrolled population growth.

Nature and animals are suffering at the hands of the world's most dangerous predator, man, who not only devours its prey but also tortures it just for fun.

And while dozens of animal species are becoming extinct almost every day, drinking water is becoming increasingly scarce and there is more and more hatred, violence and war, we in Europe actually believe that we can seal ourselves off from all the refugees who have to flee because of these aforementioned circumstances. We do build walls to maintain our illusion of prosperity, without realising that we are doomed to perish with the rest of mankind because the prosperity of the industrialised nations is endangering all living creatures on this wonderful blue planet.

And so we are trying to erect more and more walls for safeguarding our oh so precious prosperity — but as Ayuma's mother once said to her in a dream: "Even these walls will fall one day" - and I guess that day won't be far away.

But there is also something positive to report, because today is Ayuma’s and my 16th wedding anniversary — and even after all these years, every day at Ayuma's side is like a wonderful gift for me that I will always cherish and revere.

And our next track is going to be released around Autumn Equinox 2024.

Hundreds of the world's leading climate researchers predict that global temperatures will rise by at least 2.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century. This would far exceed the internationally agreed target of 1.5 degrees Celsius and could have catastrophic consequences for all living creatures on this planet.

77 per cent of the 380 experts expect warming of at least 2.5 degrees Celsius. Almost half even forecast an increase of at least 3 degrees Celsius.

Many scientists are painting a bleak picture of the future, characterised by famine, conflict and mass migration, specifically citing heatwaves, forest fires, floods and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond anything experienced to date.

Most experts are exasperated at the inaction of governments despite the clear scientific evidence. They predict that the world is heading for major societal upheaval within the next five years and that governments will be overwhelmed by the extreme events this will bring.

These experts are calling for massive preparations to protect people and our environment from the worst effects of the coming climate disasters.

A lack of political will and the influence of interest groups such as the fossil fuel industry were cited by the overwhelming majority of experts as the main reasons for the failure to tackle the climate crisis. Inequality and the failure of rich countries to help poorer ones, who suffer the most from climate impacts, were also frequently addressed.

One South African scientist sharply criticised the global response to the crisis: "I expect a semi-dystopian future with significant pain and suffering for people in the global South." He said that we are sailing on a "ship of fools".

And for this very reason we are heading for the cliffs of the final breakdown with our eyes wide open, because we refuse to listen warning call of the sirens.

Our next track is going to be released around Lughnasadh 2024.

Just like "The King of Emptiness" this song is also based on a dream I once had: in this dream, Ayuma and I got into an argument over mere inanities: I got angry, stormed out of the house and ran along a lonely road.

As I ran, I realised how senseless our argument was and that it was completely unnecessary because I loved Ayuma with all of my heart and therefore there was nothing worth arguing or getting angry about.

At the end of the road, a flower shop was still open, so I went in and bought a bouquet of roses for Ayuma.

I ran back to apologise for my stubbornness - but when I came back to our house, it seemed to have been abandoned for decades: it was just a dilapidated ruin where no one seemed to be living anymore. Horrified, I stood in front of the forsaken house and called out for Ayuma, but she was no longer there -- and when I woke up from that terrible dream, drenched in sweat and with a pounding heart, I reached out gently for Ayuma lying next to me and the nightmare came to an end.

Our next track is going to be released around Summer Solstice 2024.

"Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened."
(Terry Pratchett, "Moving Pictures")

Although my mind continues to tell me that I am at most 35 years old, my body is making me realise more and more clearly that I have passed the age of 60: I am in the autumn of my life and the salad days of youth are long behind me.

After a stay in hospital, I am now even dependent on crutches for some time, and I am increasingly realising that my lifetime ain't infinite. I've become like the weathered tree in the song -- but no matter what marks age has left on me: my wonderful wife is still standing by me and will never leave me, because we are inseperable and together we are swaying gently in the autumn wind...

Our next track is going to be released around Beltane 2024.

Back in the 90s I have been living in Bonn where I met Näx, the excellent piper who also player the uilleann pipes on "A Legacy of Love" and "Perfume". We formed an Irish Folk-duo as some kind of side project and played in clubs and venues around town, which was rather unusual in a city whose music scene was very much dominated by blues and jazz at the time.

Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun and, above all, we had put together a really great set of traditional Irish ballads and original compositions - and one of these original compositions included "Down By The Salley Gardens", which is based on the poem of the same name by the renowned Irish poet, dramatist and writer William Butler Yeats.

This poem has always meant a lot to me - and although it has been taken up by quite a few musicians already, I wrote my own melody to it, which I have never forgotten despite all the years that have passed since then.

And so I recorded this song as a tribute to the good times of my collaboration with Näx, because the musical roots of Antichrisis also lie to a rather significant extent in Irish Folk, as can be quite easily heard on this recording.

Our next track will be released around Spring Equinox 2024.