Regular edition in jewel case.
Second and in the opinion of most fans best album of Woods of Desolation. Depressive Black Metal at its very best - highly recommended for fans of AUSTERE, ALCEST, AMESOEURS, GRIS, NYKTALGIA, SOMBRES FORÊTS and the like.
A while back I reviewed Austere's 2009 masterpiece, To Lay Like Old Ashes. The band displayed a massive amount of stellar musicianship and beauty through their perfectly crafted music. I was rather sad when Austere disbanded in 2010, but Woods Of Desolation is still active, and on this album, they seem to be continuing Austere's work. Tim (Sorrow), a member of Austere, plays drums and keyboards on this release and also provides vocals. The result is, what might be called To Lay Like Old Ashes part 2, beautiful, melancholic black metal with a heavy influence from post-rock and shoegaze.
The album begins with the title track, a scathing whirlwind of gorgeous riffing and lightning-fast drumming that breaks down to a slower tempo around halfway through. The production is very similar to Austere's sophomore as well, enabling every tiny element to be heard. The final riff in the song is extremely moving, Sorrow's vocals are definitely at their best on this release. "Darker Days" is a mid-tempo song beginning with some brief acoustics, and some clean vocals. The singing is sadly quite buried in the mix, and comes off more like mumbling at times. Still, this song is every bit as good as the last, the grandiose, epic riffs as prevalent as ever.
Things begin to get even better with "An Unbroken Moment", a speedy song featuring lots of blast beats, soaring keyboard-driven harmonies, and flying double bass pedals. About halfway through, the song dissolves into an atmospheric interlude, driven by swirling ambiance and a string instrument. Then the instruments come in, even stronger than before, carrying the listener through a landscape of tortured beauty until the end of the song. Definitely one of the album's best tracks.
"The Inevitable End" is another massive song, beginning with a beautiful riff that cascades like a wall of falling rain. Sadly, save for the amazing vocals, the brief acoustic bit six minutes in, and the last couple of riffs in the song, it tends to drag a bit, and isn't as memorable as the last few songs. It's still an impeccable song, but Woods Of Desolation can do better. The brief interlude "November" comes next, an acoustic tune that gradually returns to the metal realm. Although a very good song, it could easily have been fleshed out a bit more.
The final song, "Somehow", is the best one here, and the most memorable for sure. Beginning almost hopefully, some clean vocals enter. Even though these are still low in the mix, they are much better than the ones in "Darker Days." Eventually the screams arrive, and they fit marvelously with the slow, beautiful guitars. Things progress this way for a while, until breaking down towards the 3.5 minute mark. Now the speed comes again, and oh is it glorious. The double bass, the riffing, the subtle keyboard... it's nearly perfect. Then it all comes down in a gorgeous wall of sound that will blow everything else you've ever heard out of your ears. A perfect way to end such a song.
Torn Beyond Reason acts as an amazing follow-up to Austere's swansong. If the clean vocals were louder, if "The Inevitable End" were a bit more memorable, and if "November" were a bit longer, this one would have been another 100. It may not be perfect, but it's still pretty damn close. A must for any fan of atmospheric, or depressive black metal.
Sample:
youtube.com/watch?v=jJlkR358yjY&list=RDjJlkR358yjY&start_radio=1
