Ajasta ikuisuuteen

I was waiting for almost a year for this to be released, anticipating what NON-demo Forgjord would sound like. In that regard, I was disappointed...

However, I was NOT disappointed in the quality of these newly-recorded songs, seemingly done in the exact same way as their demo recordings were done! Now we know...that incredibly raw, scraping hideousness IS their "sound"!

So, accepting that this is the way Forgjord intends to sound, I'll attempt to describe it in case you've not heard their previous demo compilation "Henkeen ja vereen" (or something close to that!): it is extremelly raw and primitive, BUT with very evident composition skill that reveals unexpected triumph and beauty within the chainsaw ugliness. Perhaps I can't call the actual music "primitive"...there is a lot of action in it. The sound is not thin, but I can't call it rich, either. It is quite unique; you will find yourself adjusting your equalization to best suit your tastes, and even then you will have to get used to it. There is absolutely no "slickness" in the sound, perhaps it can be described as akin to punk rock, but without the whimsical connotations associated with that genre. As with previous material, it sounds as if the band is still not at all polished, and so, in the "punk" style, their music has many near-mistakes (including a few oddly out-of-tune sounding melodies!) and a lack of focus that only adds to it's power and freshness. Perhaps "lack of focus" is misleading, as the songs ARE very well composed and stand apart from each other on their own identities. And I wouldn't call the playing sloppy, either. The material is attacked with fierce gusto that is sometimes not as "controlled" as some might like. I, however, think it is fantastic!

The guitars are quite distorted, but not to the point of sounding clinically robotic (as some bands do, for example Hiems or Slavia, though that sound works well for them) for the most part, but sometimes there are parts where the sound regresses to perhaps ancient Raven or Saxon-esque, as the black metal gives way to just plain old heavy metal configuration (but don't get the idea that they suddenly sound "retro", it is just a brilliant device that Forgjord employs within the context of pure black metal). There is also a wee bit of awkwardly-played acoustic, as well as a wee bit of piano here and there.

The drums? They are way more consistent than the demo material, but still they are not very prominent. I wouldn't call them muffled, and I can't really think of WHAT to call them! Once again, the old description "morbid pounding on skulls and coffin lids" comes to mind. They are not a powerful element of the music, but serve better than they have in the past.

The vocals are endearingly creepy! Not much different from the demo stuff at all. Still very abrasive and with an echo-from-the-tomb, still with a few sickly moans and other-worldly chants in the background. Still memorably satisfying!

Within this booklet, I don't think I found one word in English(other than the Hammer of Hate info)! So I'm not sure if this, like the demos, was produced on a simple 4 track. I also think it might be interesting to find interpretations of the lyrics.

Forgjord is NOT a "musician's band". They are a band of obviously-very-obsessed FANS OF TRUE METAL, who demonstrate their obsession within their music. I hope I have not given the impression that they are poor musicians or novices...their sound is their own. And the songs they compose are sometimes impossibly excellent, but all keeping within that simple formula that the very best metal (of any genre) is forged from. Forgjord is the most exciting band I've run across since Limbonic Art!