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Forest Of Shadows - Departure review




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Reviewer:
9.0

101 users:
8.42
Band: Forest Of Shadows
Album: Departure
Release date: November 2004


01. Sleeping Death
02. November Dream
03. Bleak Dormition
04. Open Wound
05. Departure
06. Rainroom [Katatonia cover] [bonus]

Needless to say that the Swedish band bearing the name Forest Of Shadows has been one of my favorite melodic doom/death metal bands since "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" fell in my arms. One of the most tear-filled and grieving (in my humble opinion always) releases in the world of melodic doom/death metal. Having loved to the end the "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" EP, I was waiting in shivering solitude the debut album of Forest Of Shadows having great expectations from such a wonderful band. Yes, it was worth the wait since "Departure" is a grey opus drowned in melancholy, in "eternal autumn."

The violin and the flute are no longer part of the sound of Forest of Shadows, two instruments that played a very important role in the demos of Forest Of Shadows and on the "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" EP. This is due to the fact that Micce Andersson is no longer part of the band; their position has inherited trip hop references which are common through the whole duration of "Departure," being expressed through a melancholic and acoustic prism. These trip hop elements harmonize in a wonderful way with Niclas Frohagen's, who remains the only and arch member of Forest of Shadows, clean expressive vocals making the overall gloomy atmosphere even more misty and dark.

Of course the doom/death metal raging moments couldn't be missing from "Departure" since they are one of the elements of Forest Of Shadows from their very beginning. Along with Niclas Frohagen's utterly descriptive mourning grunts or more blackish extreme vocals they escalate the emotional charge of the songs, withering any flower of hope that longs to bloom on the dying earth. The rhythm section lends groove and soul to the compositions while the guitar riffing or acoustic moments cut you deep within with rose-leafs, harmonizing in the most appropriate way with Niclas' melodic and melancholic clean or mourning and shivering grunting vocals.

The production is very good, helping the fantastic ideas sound even greater. In combination with the fact that Forest Of Shadows has become more mature the overall outcome is outstanding. For the lyrics of the band I don't have much to say, they belong to the category of the most beautiful, poetic and pessimistic lyrics of the doom/death metal scene, pacing in such a unique way with the music of the band.

The album definitely flows as one, consisting of 4 lengthy utterly inspired melodic doom/death metal compositions and one beautiful instrumental piece, traveling the listener to dolorous soundscapes, making him lose himself into a "forest of shadows?"

Only for the lovers of lengthy, weeping and dramatic doom/death metal compositions. "Amidst a forest of shadows, swept in thorns and songs of farewell?"





Written on 06.09.2005 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind."

Staff review by
Undercraft
Rating:
9.0
The record lasts more than one hour. It only has 5 songs. Art & booklet is on white and black. Well, I'm pretty sure this isn't Grindcore, but Doom Metal.
Forest of Shadows is a Swedish one-man project, although in the past it had band members, they came and went, and at the end mastermind of the project, Niclas Frohagen stood alone, and composed this "Departure," the first full length of Forest Of Shadows.

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published 13.07.2005 | Comments (5)


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 74 users
06.12.2006 - 19:53
Rating: 9
priit

As with the first Forest of Shadows' album, you write the truth and even though I like the older bit better, Departure is close behind.
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01.09.2007 - 01:24
W-Lash
Metal Master
In fact it's fucking good stuff!
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17.04.2008 - 17:18
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
the album is fuckin nice and im not agree that this album is worse than "Where Dreams Turn To Dust" cause im sure that FOS will never release an album like that and everyband has somthing like it. its so normal so i compare this album with other doom albums and i strongly think that it deserves 10.
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26.09.2008 - 13:59
REGRET.

Nice Nice Nice ..... I Like Forest Of shadows:yes:
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13.11.2009 - 06:23
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Well... the reviews at MetalArchives simply trash the album... lol... I love it. Althou I miss the violin and the flute a lot, in this album their absence was forgivable Pretty transcendental.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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13.11.2009 - 11:18
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by Uirapuru on 13.11.2009 at 06:23

Well... the reviews at MetalArchives simply trash the album... lol... I love it.


I just don't understand those reviews, I don't see how this stuff isn't inspiring.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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07.09.2011 - 23:45
Rating: 9
advent

Very good stuff, strange that the some songs of this album seem repetitive but don't make me boring at all.
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28.12.2020 - 11:54
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
This is good way to say, somehow its My Dying Bride in 34.788%... Complete period. No viloin, less true metal vibe, some other wives, some club influnces. Just after 2 demos.
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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