Forest Of Shadows - Departure review
Band: | Forest Of Shadows |
Album: | Departure |
Style: | Atmospheric doom metal, Death doom metal |
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.
Rating:
9.0
9.0
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." Read more ›› |
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