In the Woods… – Otra Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier

Oh, yay, I get to review In the Woods…!! How I haven’t reviewed them before is beyond me. I must have been in the bathroom or something. I’ve been jamming to these guys forever, which led me to another favorite band: Green Carnation. As stated before by Z and Ferox, these Norwegians are an odd bunch that can’t quite figure out what they want to be, like gender confusion but genre confusion. After almost four decades in business, they’ve tinkered with everything from black to doom to progressive metal. As of 2022’s Diversum, In the Woods… has pretty much combined all their genre influences into one. In some cases, it works; in other cases, it’s a touch messy. That said, I think I liked Diversum more than Ferox because I thought the individual songs came together nicely to create the album, though there were obvious issues with some of the tracks. Some of it might be the new singer on staff. Or, it could be the songwriting as a whole. But Fjellestad is a solid addition to the crew, returning once again for this year’s Otra. The question is, will we see another side of In the Woods…, or will they finally reel in their influences to release something stunning?

One thing I can say that should please those who weren’t quite thrilled with the new vocalist on Diversum is that Fjellestad and the band have come quite a way since 2022. I’m not saying the vocals are better (because he’s a good vocalist), but the performance and songwriting are stronger on Otra. It might be because this time around, the album has a theme that connects the songs. Personifying the Otra river in Norway, the album flows through tumultuous rapids and sputtering streams, bringing the water molecules together for a forty-five-minute rafting trip. Now that we are in a boat instead of the forest, will Otra supply a soothing mist to my face or give me… wood? Wait.

“The Things You Shouldn’t Know” begins right away with gentle guitars and soothing vocals before it erupts into harsh vox and a grooving black metal lick. As this eight-plus-minute beauty builds, it alternates between Green Carnation-like passages and Borknagar/Vintersorg-esque black metal blasts. You’ll also find passionate guitar leads here (and elsewhere on the album) that push the vocals to soaring heights. The bigness only gets bigger when a second voice partners with Fjellestad in the final chorus. “The Crimson Crown” is another biggun that opens with pleasing keys that morph into a blanket of atmoblack riffage before cruising into a bass-led verse. Then, the song explodes into a Borknagar-ish chorus with alternating clean and harsh vox that works so damn well. One of the song’s coolest sections involves a calmness over the water, where Fjellestad adds subtle movement to his voice that adds layers to the music.

Other stellar tracks are “Let Me Sing” and the closing number, “The Wandering Deity.” The closer expands on that vocal wizardry of “The Crimson Crown” by hypnotizing the airwaves with vibrato. This slick addition makes the song’s final chorus that much more impactful. Being less than six minutes in length, this song sure as hell does a lot. Using a Green Carnation foundation, it slithers its way through dark, black metal riffage, gorgeous melodies, and even some black ‘n’ roll a la Carpathian Forest. “Let Me Sing” begins as an innocent piece, introducing it with muffled keys. That’s until the sinister mid-paced chug comes in, accompanied by a surprising vocal arrangement that brings to mind Type O Negative and The Vision Bleak. This song is one of the better tracks at alternating between clean and harsh. I also can’t move on without mentioning the bass work. Not only is it more prominent than other tracks, but nothing quite gets me erect like a bass slide.

The track that does not do well at alternating between the soft and hard sections is “The Kiss and the Lie.” While not a terrible track, its transitions feel forced and awkward, making it difficult to enjoy compared to the other pieces. “Come Ye Sinners” almost suffers the same fate, but the performances make up for it in the back half to save it. While Otra would do better with a more dynamic master, I can’t deny that the songwriting and vocal performances are some of the best in this new era of In the Woods… Taking what they learned from Diversum and polishing it up, this outing is a tight, seven-track affair and one of my favorites of theirs. Though, it’s damn near impossible to achieve what they did in the past, Otra is a pleasing listen and well worth a spin for In the Woods… enthusiasts.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: in-the-woods.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/inthewoods
Releases Worldwide: April 11th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Apr25 #AvantGarde #BlackMetal #Borknagar #CarpathianForest #GothicMetal #GreenCarnation #InTheWoods #NorwegianMetal #Otra #ProgressiveMetal #ProphecyProductions #Review #Reviews #TheVisionBleak #TypeONegative #Vintersorg

Unreqvited – A Pathway to the Moon Review

By Carcharodon

Unreqvited and I have history. The excellent Mosaic I: L’Amour et L’Ardeur (2018) was just the third review I wrote here and also my first 4.0.1 Since then, I’ve reviewed the slightly creaky Mosaic II: La déteste et la détresse (3.0) and the very good Beautiful Ghosts (3.5). Now back with seventh album, A Pathway to the Moon, Unreqvited are the band I’ve reviewed more than any other, and the bright, expansive synth work, paired with post-black explosions and howled, wordless vocals feel almost like a comforting hug at this point. While retaining a core sound, Unreqvited’s albums have moved progressively away from the DSBM / post-black stylings that defined their early releases, moving ever further into an ambient post-space. However, A Pathway to the Moon, sees possibly the biggest shift to date, the introduction of vocals. Like, proper singing, with words and stuff. So, what does sole member 鬼 (Ghost) have to say?

While closer to a traditional album in structure than Unreqvited’s previous output, A Pathway to the Moon gives the impression of a cinematic soundtrack. Flowing between something that, at times, nudges up against Ihsahn territory (“The Antimatter”), synth-dominated ambient work and soaring guitar- and vocal-led pieces that could almost be Caligula’s Horse in places (“The Starforger”), there’s a lot to take in. It’s credit to 鬼 that the album retains a cohesive feel, despite its chameleonic mood shifts. Bookended by the percussion-free dreams of “Overture: I Disintegrate” and “Departure: Everlasting Dream,” A Pathway to the Moon has the feel of a journey, guiding the listener through shifting landscapes. Or moonscapes. For all the lush synth work and keys, there’s something desolate and sad about the album, which has a much more despondent feel to it than 2021’s Beautiful Ghosts.

Perhaps A Pathway to the Moon’s feeling of loneliness is driven by the vocals. It turns out that 鬼’s voice, previously a wordless, howling demon, is actually high, clear, and fragile, with an almost ethereal edge to it, especially when double-tracked (“Void Essence / Frozen Tears”). In places, I was reminded of Mark Garrett’s (Kardashev) cleans, which is a very good thing indeed. While clean vocals now dominate, both black metal rasps and DSBM shrieks have their place in the mix but, from the outset to the close, it’s Unreqvited’s new face that we see the most. Whether set to warbling electronica (“Into the Starlit Beyond”) or dancing guitar lines (“The Starforger”), it’s hard to see the focus as anything but 鬼’s voice. There may be a degree to which this is because A Pathway to the Moon shatters my expectations of what an Unreqvited album is but there is no doubt that, after six albums more or less instrumental albums, 鬼 has found his voice.

The prominent introduction, not just of vocals, but of clean singing, came as a surprise to me. However, on reflection, it is also a natural progression in Unreqvited’s sound from previous outing, Beautiful Ghosts. It also aligns with the shift into being more of a touring band. While 鬼’s (surprisingly) strong voice carries the transition, to a certain degree, the compositional focus has also shifted slightly away from the gorgeous soundscapes that were the hallmark of Mosaic I and Empathica. While “Void Essence / Frozen Tears” showcases all aspects of Unreqvited’s sound to excellent effect, other tracks (most notably “Into the Starlit Beyond”) feel almost like something was taken away to make space for the vocals. To put it another way, rather than the vocals embellishing or enhancing what was great about Unreqvited, what used to be achieved instrumentally, is now achieved through the vocals. It’s still very good but weirdly has the feel of treading water, rather than moving forward. The drums are also pushed way down into the mix to make space for the vox, leaving the percussion lacking a bit of impact.

If that last paragraph reads as heavily critical of Unreqvited, it’s not meant to. I really enjoy A Pathway to the Moon but I’ve been on something of a journey with it. I generally don’t listen to advance tracks of things I know I’m going to review, preferring to come into the album as a whole. This meant the shift to singing caught me off guard. After I got over my surprise, I loved it but, the more time I spent with the album, the more I missed some of the rich textures and dynamics from previous records, some of which were left on the cutting room floor. That said, this is a hugely enjoyable, emotively written record that I thoroughly recommend.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: unreqvited.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/unreqvited
Releases Worldwide: February 7th, 2025

#2025 #35 #APathwayToTheMoon #AmbientMetal #Blackgaze #CaligulaSHorse #CanadianMetal #DSBM #Feb25 #Ihsahn #Kardashev #PostRock #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #ProphecyProductions #Review #Reviews #Shoegaze #Synthwave #Unreqvited

Whispering Void – At the Sound of the Heart review

By Mystikus Hugebeard

Whispering Void is, by all accounts, a supergroup. Created by former Trelldom guitarist Ronny Stavestrand, his Trelldom connections allowed him to bring Kristian Eivind Espedal (otherwise known as the problematic fave, Gaahl) onto the project. From there it snowballed, with Gaahl’s Wardruna tenure opening the door for vocalist Lindy-Fay Hella to join the project as well. Rounding out the formation is Iver Sandøy on drums, the drummer for Enslaved’s last two albums. So not only is Whispering Void a supergroup, but they’re probably one of the most Norwegian supergroups ever. Whispering Void channels the diverse musical backgrounds and ideologies of these Norwegian musicians through, in their own words, “an organic and free-spirited studio process,” culminating in their debut album, At the Sound of the Heart.

Whispering Void plays a rich blend of folk, prog, and post-rock that conjures to mind a strikingly Norwegian Crippled Black Phoenix. Clear guitar melodies gently propel songs forward amidst ebbing layers of percussion, strings, and vocals. At the Sound of the Heart has a clean prog-rock tone like that of Lunatic Soul while the songwriting builds towards grand, post-y climaxes, with some added ambient influences to enrich the sound. The performances are excellent, obviously, given the pedigree. The instrumentation from Stavestrand and Sandøy is clean and tight, Hella’s expressive vocals are full of emotion, and nobody can do gravelly spoken words quite like Gaahl. It’s not what I would call the most bodacious of supergroups, comprised of larger-than-life personalities, but the musicians of Whispering Void work together well.

Something that struck me early on regarding At the Sound of the Heart that took a while to put into words is how it feels devoid of ego. Supergroups are typically eager to showcase what certain members’ excel at in their own groups to the point of excess, and while Whispering Void does lean into its members’ strengths, it’s subtle and restrained. The music is thoughtfully composed in a way that strives for melodic clarity and atmospheric richness, which rings most clearly through At the Sound of the Heart’s first half. “Vinden Vier” tastefully pairs a beautiful melody sung by Hella with Gaahl’s percussive recitation of the song’s title, whereas “Vi Finnes” gives Gaahl’s vocals a greater spotlight as the haunting chorus escalates through the song. “Whispering Void” is a great track that dynamically leads through a clean guitar melody paired with Hella’s vocals into a chorus where Gaahl’s vocals complement Sandøy’s drumming prowess, culminating in a sublime melodic climax. It’s genuinely refreshing to hear such talented musicians who are all great on their own working together in a way that’s less about showing off and more about creating something unique through a free-form collaborative process.

As At the Sound of the Heart enters its second half, the results of that artistic process grow shakier. It’s tempting to wax poetic about some cerebral, damning problem rooted deep within the album’s second half to justify it, but truthfully, it’s the simple anticlimax of just being weaker than the first half. The songs are less gripping and slowly sink into the background—the melodies aren’t as strong, the song structure becomes predictable, the atmosphere less inviting. The title track and “We Are Here” adopt a gloomy and dramatic veneer that leans into Gaahl’s spoken words, but they’re frequently more of a whisper and the melodies just never really click. “Lauvvind” returns to the clean, prog-rock tone of the earlier songs, but has a jam-session feel that doesn’t quite land. The songs here aren’t even all that unpleasant, but they’re just boring enough. It’s like the first half marries a solid, driving composition with excellent atmosphere, while the second half lets the compositional strength seep away in favor of the vibes. Vibes can be good, but vibes do not a song make.

It is a unique challenge to score At the Sound of the Heart; in many ways, it defies scoring. At times sublime in its composition and at times little more than musicians just shooting the breeze, At the Sound of the Heart is an unobstructed view into an organic, collaborative artistic process that never truly fails, but only occasionally succeeds. The free-form nature of the music is clearly the point, and it would be a loss if Whispering Void abandoned their free-form experimentation for rigidity. I only wish Whispering Void made more stellar songs like those of the album’s first half, but perhaps you’ll feel differently, and I invite you to experience At the Sound of the Heart for yourself.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: facebook | bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: October 18th, 2024

#25 #2024 #Ambient #AtTheSoundOfTheHeart #CrippledBlackPhoenix #Enslaved #Folk #LunaticSoul #NorwegianMetal #Oct24 #PostRock #ProgRock #ProphecyProductions #Trelldom #Wardruna #WhisperingVoid

Vuur & Zijde – Boezem Review

By GardensTale

Few things make as big a difference to genre as vocals. If it doesn’t have raspy screeching, can it still be called black metal? If it doesn’t sound like a certain blue monster swapped his addiction from cookies to craniums, can it still be called death metal? Vuur & Zijde is a new project that tests these questions with an odd blend of post-black and post-punk, eschewing harsh vocals entirely and glorifying love rather than hate. It’s no wonder that the line-up contains, among others, two-thirds of Laster, a band that also does not seem overly concerned with ‘genre conventions’ or ‘making sense.’ With other members cribbed from Terzij de Horde and Witte Wieven, Vuur & Zijde is a cross-section of the Dutch black metal scene, with only vocalist Famke Canrinus new to the scene. But is black metal about love really black metal to love?

The blend peddled on Boezem makes more sense when heard rather than read. The post-punk is a fair bit more prominent than the post-black. The influence of the latter is largely confined to the atmospheric streams of tremolos drifting off the guitars. The drums often remain fairly stoic, holding a steady yet sparse mid-pace with a focus on the snare and low-impact kicks, which keeps the overall energy reserved for the occasional few stretches of blasts. A surprise highlight is the bass, its dynamic compositions granting the music a bit more flexibility and soul. Overall, the darkly gothic and stifling atmosphere draws favorable comparisons with Killing Joke with forays into Alcest territory.

Miss Canrinus is the heart of the band, with a vocal performance hewing closer to occult rock like Coven with a warm, bewitching quality. Her timbre is clear and inviting, occasionally reminding me of Anneke van Giersbergen (Vuur et al), but despite her technical proficiency, her approach isn’t terribly dynamic, using the same delivery and intensity across most of Boezem. “Nest” is an outlier, showcasing several characterizations with phrases at turns sardonic and consoling, but a sense of repetitiveness diminishes their impact. Thankfully, the instrumental variety is stronger across the album. The aggressive bursts of “Onbemind,” the gothic doom “Us,” the energetic haunting of “Omheind” and the echoing atmosphere of “Naakt” all display different sides of Vuur & Zijde and demonstrate its aptitude for diverse yet cohesive songwriting.

Despite the unusual sound, Boezem sounds remarkably cohesive and lived in, as if the band has been honing its compositions for years. The only big compositional bump is in the center, the lethargic and repetitive “Kuier” which combines spoken word with a plodding, incessant melody. It completely halts the album’s momentum, and actually takes away from follow-up “II,” a powerful, synth-heavy and atmospheric track with a slow start that would have benefited from more contrast to its predecessor. It’s a sizeable mark on Boezem’s otherwise impeccable flow, but thanks to the strength of the rest of the material and the excellent production, it doesn’t sink the ship.

Though I’m the furthest thing from nationalistic, I do feel a little pride at the state of Dutch underground metal. Vuur & Zijde is yet another example of the innovative, envelope-pushing music emerging from our scene. Combining disparate well-trod genres into a new and engaging sound is no small feat, but here it feels effortless, as if the band has never done anything else. Considering the pedigree of the musicians, it should come as no surprise, but so often experiments like this fail miserably anyway. Boezem has its issues, the centralized momentum-robber chief among them. But it’s a bold demonstration of Vuur & Zijde’s qualities in both composition and execution and a very promising start to a hopefully fruitful project.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Prophecy Productions
Websites: vuurenzijde.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/vuurenzijde
Releases Worldwide: July 12th, 2024

#2024 #30 #Alcest #Boezem #Coven #DutchMetal #GothicMetal #Jul24 #KillingJoke #Laster #PostBlackMetal #postPunk #ProphecyProductions #Review #Reviews #TerzijDeHorde #Vuur #VuurZijde #WitteWieven