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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]

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.

Music is somber, dark, gloomy, slow, and aggressive, filled with anguish, loneliness, despair, desperately looking for something? someone.
Songs are quite long, clocking between 10-15 minutes each, but they have a strange bipolarity, a acceptable duality that makes them quite enjoyable all through their length, id est, they don't get boring.

Let's take for example, opener track, "Sleeping Death" begins slow, with wailing vocals, a gloomy piano and percussion in the back, this goes for about 7 minutes, and then the guitars and the growls break the tranquility of the first half of the song. Second part is harsh, but melancholic, Forest Of Shadows never looses the dramatic touch in their music, whether is a slow part or a harsh one.

"November Dream" Follows the same architecture of the previous song, weepy vocals and slow melancholic parts, followed by a growl outburst but always maintaining the sorrowful atmosphere. " Bleak Dominion" is a excellent instrumental song, no vocals and no lyrics to express the misery, the music speaks for itself. "Open Wound" is a catchy song, with more rhythm and melodies than the previous ones, the lead guitars marks a catchy line all through the song. Last and title song "Departure" is a pounding track, with excellent arrangements and a beautiful growling section, a hymn to the wretched.

Forest Of Shadows offer us an album filled to the brim of despondency, sorrow and many other tragic feelings, while compositions are quite simple, the music works perfectly to bring you down in a matter of seconds. this album is a masterpiece. So, be warned, prepare to be doomed.

Written by Undercraft | 13.07.2005



Staff review by
KwonVerge
Rating:
9.0
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."

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published 06.09.2005 | Comments (8)


Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 61 users
11.04.2009 - 17:44
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
Nice reveiew about this album. but I think it was better to talk a little about lyrics too.

bleak silver streams
the light of many a star
born from thrones in dark heaven
and swept in the suns demise

this is what albums starts with.
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11.04.2009 - 19:41
Ragana
Rawrcat
Indeed, the review is fine. And so is the album. I haven't heard the newest album by Forest Of Shadows, but I hope I'll get it soon because this band (or I should say - this man?) is fascinating me.

I got carried away with this albums some time ago and I really was surprised by these fantastic sounds, melancholy and yes, the lyrics aren't bad at all.
The album has lots of good things, well, maybe one bad - it's too short... though at the meantime it has perfect timing. Not too short and not too long. But I could listen to it more and more, hehe.
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12.04.2009 - 09:17
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
Written by Ragana on 11.04.2009 at 19:41

Indeed, the review is fine. And so is the album. I haven't heard the newest album by Forest Of Shadows, but I hope I'll get it soon because this band (or I should say - this man?) is fascinating me.

I got carried away with this albums some time ago and I really was surprised by these fantastic sounds, melancholy and yes, the lyrics aren't bad at all.
The album has lots of good things, well, maybe one bad - it's too short... though at the meantime it has perfect timing. Not too short and not too long. But I could listen to it more and more, hehe.

I think you may like new album more than this one. but its just a guess. have you heard about "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" album?
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12.04.2009 - 09:17
THE_BLACK_GOD
Account deleted
Written by Ragana on 11.04.2009 at 19:41

Indeed, the review is fine. And so is the album. I haven't heard the newest album by Forest Of Shadows, but I hope I'll get it soon because this band (or I should say - this man?) is fascinating me.

I got carried away with this albums some time ago and I really was surprised by these fantastic sounds, melancholy and yes, the lyrics aren't bad at all.
The album has lots of good things, well, maybe one bad - it's too short... though at the meantime it has perfect timing. Not too short and not too long. But I could listen to it more and more, hehe.

I think you may like new album more than this one. but its just a guess. have you listened to "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" album?
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12.04.2009 - 17:24
Ragana
Rawrcat
Written by Guest on 12.04.2009 at 09:17

Written by Ragana on 11.04.2009 at 19:41

Indeed, the review is fine. And so is the album. I haven't heard the newest album by Forest Of Shadows, but I hope I'll get it soon because this band (or I should say - this man?) is fascinating me.

I got carried away with this albums some time ago and I really was surprised by these fantastic sounds, melancholy and yes, the lyrics aren't bad at all.
The album has lots of good things, well, maybe one bad - it's too short... though at the meantime it has perfect timing. Not too short and not too long. But I could listen to it more and more, hehe.

I think you may like new album more than this one. but its just a guess. have you listened to "Where Dreams Turn to Dust" album?

Yes, but not enough to have an exact opinion about it.
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