Into the Dark Forest... (Alternate Version)

Better known as an ambient black metal band, Elffor started out as ambient music with vocals and this is what “Into the Dark Forest…” is all about. I’m reviewing the re-recorded version so I cannot say how this differs from the original. What I can say though, is that this is definitely among the better ambient stuff I’ve heard and that there’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the production. The keyboards sound epic and powerful and the black metal vocals are full of anguish and desperation. Eöl also uses some narrative vocals like e.g. on “Intro (Those Dark Battles)” and clean vocals but the black metal vocals dominate.

Summoning is a band which Elffor often gets compared to and this is not unfounded. “Into the Dark Forest” could for the most part be described as a mixture of Summoning’s (or Elffor’s own, for that matter) keyboard parts and early Mortiis. The length of the songs has been kept in check (the longest track is 6:26) and there’s also enough variation to keep me interested for the duration of the whole album. This is something quite a few ambient releases fail to do. The tracks get neither too repetitive nor boring. Eöl has succeeded in creating captivating and atmospheric compositions “inspired by the mysterious and ancestral echoes of desolate landscapes”, as the man himself puts it. Prepare yourself for a journey into the dark forest to the lonely mountain under the northern icemoon! The title track, “The Lonely Mountain” and “Entrance to the Fog” have probably the strongest medieval vibes on this album and every Summoning fan should enjoy at least these three tracks.

The only somewhat negative factor on this album is that sometimes the vocals “interfere” a bit with the music. For example, on “Entrance to the Fog” there are some clean vocal screams that I find distracting, whereas the black metal vocals on said track work well. On some tracks the black metal vocals get on my nerves a bit because I feel that they clash a bit with the music. At times they sound a bit too extreme for this type of music, if you know what I mean? It would also have been nice with some more narrative vocals, such as those on the first track. This “vocals issue” doesn’t ruin my listening experience to any great degree though.

One more positive point with this re-release is that two bonus tracks have been added to it. These tracks were completed back in 1996 but were recorded in the same session as the rest of this album. They fit in very well with the rest of the material, so there’s no sudden change of style at the end of the album. “Into the Dark Forest...” proves that Elffor makes for a good listen also without the metal element present.