In The Woods (Norway) – ‘Pure’ (2016)
‘Pure’released on Debemur Morti Productions, marks the first full-length release from the now Progressive Metal band In the Woods in over 16 years. The band began as a death metal band by the name of Green Carnation before undergoing a natural evolution responding to the changing sounds of the Norwegian Metal scene in the early 1990’s with the advent of the second wave of Black Metal. From the beginning, one can hear a great level of experimentation as early on as their demos, including their first release titled ‘Isle of Men’ Demo in 1993. This demo features some really interesting usage of keyboards much in the vein of the way Thorns and Emperor seemed to be experimenting with at the time, as well as vocals that if not for the much more conservative mix, could compete with early Burzum records in its ability to curdle blood and peel the paint off a wall. The band would continue to experiment and progress further and further away from traditional Black Metal, similar to other contemporary Norwegian Black Metal bands like Ulver or Enslaved.
Admittedly, On first listen to this record, I found myself fighting back laughter as the opening riff reminded me very much of the keyboard melody from ‘The Final Countdown,’ but quickly and luckily the mood changed once the vocals came in to something I immediately recognized as akin to the sort of the gothic synth pop sounds I am familiar with from the middle era of a band like Paradise Lost on records like 1997’s ‘One Second’, especially a track like ‘Say Just Words’ from that release. The spirit of this offering from In the Woods, verily sit snugly alongside the most recent releases of the other infamous ‘Peaveville Three’, being Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride and Anathema, as well as the obvious being their fellow Norwegians Enslaved, quite well.
The production quality is very modern, sharp and clean, though I don’t feel like it falls into the easy trappings of many modern metal acts, especially those associated with the ‘Progressive’ and ‘Technical’ subgenres that tend to produce records that sound overly compressed, lack sonic dynamics, warmth, or for lack of a better term, ‘soul’. Too often I hear modern bands that are blessed with any sort of decent recording equipment or budget, seem to spend their money on sucking every ounce of human touch out of their music, leaving them with a product that sounds as cold and sterile as the steel plating of the robots it sounds like the record was recorded by. Thankfully, though this record is very clear and certainly tight and precise, it still retains its ability to be emotive, which is complimented by the equally rare within the subgenre ability to not over play to the point of sacrificing that which makes for good songwriting and composition, in the name of masturbatory over-complexity or noodling.
Though this record is not one that employs very much showy musicianship, it does certainly put a lot of emphasis on textures, atmosphere and experimentation. The band effortlessly integrates sounds that range and extend through a very deep yet studied, eclectic vocabulary of syths and electronic sounds, as well as a mixture of both clean and distorted guitar sounds. While the melodies and textures of the guitars and synths can be very explorative, throughout the record it is anchored by a very solid and tight, though not stiff rhythm section. Listening with a good pair of headphones, I was engaged listening to the bass guitar as it growls, snarls and snakes through the mix, offering some interesting details with a close and attentive listen. The drums on the record were very strong and powerful, and while there were a few flavorful fills and embellishments, most of the playing remained hard hitting and to the point. While I was happy with the drumming on this record, I did find myself wanting more sections of this record that might have sped up above the mid-tempo and droning slow paces that the entire record seemed to pendulum between.
Though this is certainly a very solid release of its own, I find my biggest criticism is that, being that this is a band known for its progression and evolution throughout its career, I found little in this release that seemed to depart from what the band left off perusing 16 years ago. The ideas on this record, while certainly a seemingly anomalous release within the global music community, to those of us even vaguely familiar with this band’s back catalogue and bands such as Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema, Katatonia, Opeth, Enslaved, and younger technical Death Metal bands like Black Crown Initiate will not be taken by surprise easily by anything to be found on this release from In the Woods…I might hope as well that In the Woods would not only plan to release new music in the future, but maybe very much like Paradise Lost, Enslaved, or My Dying Bride might begin to see an avenue to reintroduce and explore some of the heavier elements of their earlier sound in a new and fresh way.
Avslut (Sweden)- Vanskapt EP (2016)
I found this band growing on me more and more with each listen.To my ears, this young band seems to be pulling heavily from the Orthodox camp of Black Metal. Many of the sounds on this release call to mind Marduk’s ‘Panzer Division’; though not quite as speedy or relentless, Deathspell Omega; though not quite as strange or unsettling, and Craft; though not quite as convincingly carnally and viciously hate fueled… This short release and the 2 previous short releases that came out from this band in 2016 do share a certain consistency of sound and tightness that seems a very promising and fertile foundation for an upcoming band worth keeping an eye on.
The guitar work is very prominent and forward in the mix, which allowed me to really enjoy some of the subtle details and superb playing, though I found myself at times wishing the bass would be allowed to or would actively attempt to cut through the mix in order to be heard. The drums are recorded well and have some interesting moments, though I wish the Bass and Snare drums were brought up to match the punch and levels of the toms and cymbals in the mix.
The recording is certainly clean for an early EP or demo from a new Black Metal band. I am left to wonder though if the band might benefit and be better suited to employing a more cold, organic recording quality more akin to early Craft or Darkthrone to help amplify the atmosphere they seem to be attempting to achieve.
A criticism I have of this record would be that throughout I find myself wanting a lot more from the vocals on this record. Though the vocals are solid and acceptable, I feel as though in order to stand out and flourish, the band could benefit greatly from exploring and diversifying its approach vocally, or at least recording and mixing the vocals in such a way that they would be less buried, being so similar in their sonic frequency to the instruments, and therefore could have more of an active role in influencing the intensity of the music, at the very least.
Avslut is certainly a band worth checking out and I will be keeping an eye on them in the future.
Fylgjur (Finland/ Italy) - Nocturnal Echoes (Demo) (2016)
‘Nocturnal Echoes’ is a quite short cassette tape and digital demo release put out by Germany’s Hammerbund Records, clocking in at just fewer than 13 minutes, though not at all a disappointing one. The sound on this release is very unpolished, raw, and atmospheric, though each individual instrument is given its own voicing in the mix, which I was very happy to hear. Each note and hit on the record is distinct and easily heard; the vocals are clear and powerful yet still shrill, sharp and visceral. I found myself really enjoying some of the moments when the instruments let up from the speed and allowed the songs to breathe, especially on the last track ‘Whispers from the Frozen Tomb’. Though this release is certainly harsh in one respect, it certainly has a great sense of melody in the guitar work that is well complimented by the vocals. Many of the sounds on this recording reminded me of Taake’s ‘Hordaland doedskvad’ record, which certainly is no complaint. If I am to have one complaint about this small but savory tasting of music from this new band, it would have to be some of the lacking of strong conclusions on these tracks. A very enjoyable release that I have found myself coming back to several times, and I find grows on me as I become more familiar with these songs. I am certainly looking forward to hearing more from this band in the future.
Nahtrunar (Austria) – Existenz (Full Length) (2016)
Many times records lend themselves well to passive listening, occasionally throwing out tracks, riffs or ideas that may on first listen grab the listeners’ attention, while other songs or ideas may require a few more consecutive listens to fully grow and become acquainted with someone as they become more and more familiar with the music… this certainly wasn’t the case when I listened to this record. Perhaps aided by the very limited amount of information I could find on this band, I found this band’s sound to be haunting and mysterious like a murky, cold, deep and dark body of water that you instinctively know isn’t devoid of its eldritch strange creatures within.
Sonically there were moments, especially early on my first listen, where approaching this record I felt overwhelmed by the chaos, density and thickness of the mix, though some of the percussion occasionally persisted to lash and rip through like razor sharp fangs. Further along in the record, though equally as complexly layered, I found myself better able to navigate through the blitzkrieg assault of ideas and sounds. As my mind and ears adjusted, I felt none the less impressed by the bands ability to allow the melodic moments of their sound to be tinged with an undercurrent of hissing noise and texture that maintained an unrelenting tension throughout, which I only felt released from in the ending moments of the record, featuring mostly uncluttered and clean vocals and somber, acoustic strings. This record sounds complex and dizzyingly detailed, and is constantly moving and morphing through many, many ideas, which could require many, listens to digest fully. Not a passive listen by any measure. I found myself rewinding this several times while listening; dissecting what each instrument (including the vocals) was doing in any given movement, though always finding myself thinking that it had ‘worked’ somehow, often to my surprise.
Though the guitar playing was obviously engaging, inspired, driving and exciting, an essential element to this band’s sound, I found my ears again and again interested in some of the very thoughtful, solid, and interesting choices made by the bass player on this record. The drumming was also solid and engaging, yet largely predictable compared to most of the rest of the band, anchoring and giving the record some sort of familiar and cohesive quality. The additional and experimental instrumentation was also a welcome addition to my ear that added excitement and further aided in making for a very dynamic output. Lastly, the vocals were certainly not disappointing and kept my attention from start to finish.
Overall and very challenging, yet rewarding listen. After numerous listens, I will certainly be revisiting this record in the future.
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