Black metal is an interesting genre. There are a good many
fans and bands who want to keep it traditional and trve, and thumb their noses
at anything that steps outside the basic, old school formula. There are bands
that stretch the boundaries a bit and mix in some death metal, or maybe some
good old rock 'n roll, or dabble with mixing in other bits. And then there is A
Forest of Stars.
This band, hailing from Leeds in the UK, uses black
metal as their touchstone, but feels abundantly free to throw in whatever else
they feel is needed. Somewhat like Panopticon and Winterfylleth, they will do
all acoustic breaks in the midst of raging metal. They have songs that are
electronic, at least to start, and then suddenly dive headlong into a speed
infused rampaging tempest. In all they meld it together in ways that keep the
music interesting and flowing. As some of their PR states, there is no other
band that sounds quite like them, which is a very good thing.
With seven band members they bring a wide variety of skills
and instrumentation to the songwriting table, and there is rarely a dull moment
on this album. Based on William Blake's “Proverbs of Hell”, there is a lot to
sink your teeth into as a listener, and even after several trips through the
album it feels as though one has barely scratched the surface. The band members
also bring a Victorian sensibility to bear as well, and I bet these guys and
gal are a trip to see live. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for any US appearances
after checking out this release.
Song titles such as “Premature Invocation” and “Scripturally
Transmitted Disease” certainly seem to show a sense of humor, or a bit of
cheekiness if you prefer. One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Children
of the Night Soil”, which absolutely bursts from the speakers and the starting
blocks at breakneck speed with some straightforward black metal augmented by
various electronic sounds and blips, then at the four minute mark does a
complete 180 into a string section playing a haunting melody, only to wind it
back up a couple minutes later. I have to mention the vocal stylings of Mr.
Curse, which are quite unlike anything I've heard before in this genre. He
seems to be right on the edge of becoming completely unhinged and many of the
vocals seem to be more rants and ravings than anything else, yet it fits what
they do to perfection. I found this entire album to be a really magical listen
and I truly enjoy it when a band can take something familiar and mold into
something that is all their own. I look forward to working into their back
catalog and finding more treasure.
If you are already a fan of this genre you really should
check this out. It is a truly eye opener of a release. If you've found black
metal to be a little bit too much by the numbers and a type of music that
doesn't take a lot of risks, you really should check this out. This is music
that will make you sit up and pay attention and that is always a good thing.
-ODIN
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