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In the Woods... > Heart of the Ages > Reviews > revoltingblob
In the Woods... - Heart of the Ages

Atmospheric Masterpiece! - 100%

revoltingblob, April 2nd, 2005

Now this is a surprise!

I had never heard of this band until earlier today, when I went to a local pawnshop to check their CD selection. I saw this album, and since it was only $3, and was released by Misanthropy Records I decide to give it a try...this is the best $3 I've ever spent.

This is a very atmospheric, slow, and (at times) depressing album. There are several kinds of vocals here, ranging from female vocals to harsh male vocals to clean male vocals. The female vocals aren't used too much, but sound great wherever they are used. In fact, "Mourning the Death of Aase" is comprised of all female vocals and is one of my favorite songs on this album. The song sounds quite depressing and slow, but is at the same time very relaxing. The harsh male vocals are screechy, and at times sound like those of Varg on Burzum's masterpiece "Filosofem". Very well done. The male clean vocals are common, and are sung in a very deep voice. They are well done, although the singer's accent is a bit too noticeable at times, but it doesn't detract from the quality of the album.

The guitar riffs on here are mostly slow and dreary, although on occasion the pace picks up. There is a large amount of keyboard created sounds on here, which greatly adds to the atmosphere of the album. The album isn't too complex, but the skill of the musician is greatly displayed in the atmosphere and feeling of the music. The drums are powerful, and the bass adds to the album's heaviness a great deal.

Another high point of the album is the lyrics. Although the ones printed in the album booklet are a little hard to read, I have read the transcriptions on this site and the lyrics are brilliant.

All in all, this is a great album that fans of atmospheric black metal or maybe even some goth metal fans may like this Norwegian classic.