Stephenhero is the alter ego of the insanely talented songwriter Patrick Fitzgerald and Apparition In The Woods is a record he was perhaps destined to make. Up until last year, the musician was suffering from end stage renal failure and enduring daily dialysis. Things looked bleak for a while until he was offered a kidney donation and Apparition sees his return to music. Much of the material was written during his illness and they’re deeply personal, incredibly dramatic threnodies that tug at the listener’s heart strings, making you feel like you’re going through hell with him (‘St. Varian,’ ‘I Will Sleep’). Powerful stuff.