FOREST OF FOG is a solo project of I.H. (formerly also known as Warburz) who is celebrating his third full length release in his third year running this project. The demo CD and also the first two albums were self produced, but for Abgründe FOREST OF FOG could ink a deal with Schwarzmetall Produktionen, which turned out to be the right label for him. Main effect to the music is a big improvement on the sound. After continuously becoming slightly better during the self producing times, the sound is now very clear, powerful and defined.
By the way, I.H. recently joined the Swiss based and up and coming Folk Metal band Eluveitie as a guitar player under his real life name Ivo Henzi.
nevertheless, his solo project is based on a way harder musical style than Eluveitie, although here and there a few folk-inspired themes can be found. I think, as a general description of the project can be said, that FOREST OF FOG is influenced by bands like early Dissection, Taake or maybe even older Old Man’s Child, but one never gets the feeling that those bands are just being copied.
Abgründe impressed me right off the start and is, in my opinion, one of the best epic or melodic Black Metal releases of the year. It’s exactly the mix that I like. Fast and hard blastbeat parts (generated with a drum computer, but well done and not unnaturally sounding) alter in nearly equal shares with slower, passages full of classy leads and epic melody lines, usually in minor key and very melancholic.
Here and there, the transitions between speed and slowness are worked out by classical heavy metal sounds, something I principally don’t like anymore, but here it doesn’t mess anything up.
Mostly kind of understated in the background, I.H. also can convince with his performance as vocalist. The croaky, but sometimes melodic voice fits in as an additional instrument which helps to summon a sinister and desolate ambience. Like an additional instrument in so far, as I could hardly understand a word as native speaker, but that’s no problem in Black Metal songs ;)
Anyone reading the excellent designed booklet (only German lyrics) finds out, that the main lyrical themes in Abgründe deal with inner brokenness, torments and unfulfilled desires.
When the dramaturgy of a song needs it, there are also choirs and spoken word parts in use.
Listening recommendation are hard to give here, I’d say the whole disc. Maybe Die Vision, Der Turm and the last track Am Abgrund can be pointed out.
A very strong album, maybe nothing for hardcore old school fans, but even those should give it a try.