Pure

It keeps happening. The dead walk. And much like the phantasmagoric images of apparitions and Lazarus-esque revivals, this wave of reawakened sleeping giants which we had long taken for dead, after going through the predictable stages of grief, keep coming pack, popping from under the hardwood, bringing nostalgic images of past glories, more or less mangled through the earthly, damp and brown filter of the present. In this opportunity, it is the mighty In The Woods.... that takes its turn to show what it's been cooking for 16 long years.

Familiarity, as usual, is the game we're playing here.

Let me just say a few brief words before I take a stab at the music per se: In The Woods is one of my favourite black metal-- nay, metal bands of all times. They released one EP, three full lengths, one wonderful compilation and a final grand declaration, a live album to end all live albums, and each of those works is immense and indispensable. Each brought something new to the already quite eclectic sound of 90s extreme metal. From their magical, romantic, epic and ethereal early works (HEart Of The Ages remains one of my top five favourite black metal albums of all time), to their avant/prog metal epoch up to their final psychedelic take on atmospheric rock, they were there when they were needed, doing what had to be done, on par with the likes of Enslaved and My Dying Bride, bridging the gap between extreme metal and progressive rock (but not necessarily of the retro-70s tradition, in spite of what their King Crimson and Pink Floyd covers might suggest). I'm waxing poetic here to emphasise how innovative and with-the-times they were each and every step of the way, both to praise their work in general (this album included) and as a form of sad, defeatist foreshadowing.

What we have here is an album by In The Woods.... The review could end there, but that'd be very unfair (and unacceptable as far as reviews go). There's plenty to talk about, plenty to dissect and plenty to celebrate in regards of this, their latest (last?) album, which is immense, clocking at 67 minutes environ. The point is that this album, as is the case with most of these much expected returns, doesn't deviate that much from where they left off, and would have had a hard time remaining topical and up-to-date even as far back as 2003, nevermind after sixteen years of silence. Sixteen! Had someone been born when Three Times Seven[...] came out, they'd be able to (depending on country) drive, vote and even have sex! And yet all ItW have to show for it is an album that can be best defined as "typical". This is the problem that plagues bands that have gone dormant for so long. They just start again from where they left off, instead of at least attempting to create something that, while still undeniably theirs, is a definitive answer to the constant call to arms that is the present. they managed to evolve so much in five years, from 1995 to 2000 that I find it a bit underwhelming to see how little they've changed in three times that time.

Why, then, bother writing this review? Why indeed bother paying attention to the album at all, if all of this was to be expected? Well, because, in case you haven't been paying attention, What we have here is an album by In The Woods...., and that's still better than 3/4 of the crap we've had to endure for the past decade and change. So let's quit the sulking and the mumbled complains and talk about music.

Oh, what a behemoth of sound and emotion we have here. Let me, first and foremost, praise the quality of production, mixing, instrumentation and singing(!!!) that this album offers. They sound younger than ever and have quite obviously been keeping busy getting to know contemporary recording technologies in order to put them to good use. The music is rich in depth, colour and clarity, without subduing any organic, "natural" aspects of the music, which is key when it comes to this band. A grosso modo, the one element that permeates the whole album is that of syncretism; we can easily find the more prog-rockesque atmospheric leanings of Strange In Stereo, the more refined dynamics, cadenzas and movements of Omnio and, strangely and wonderfully enough, the rough singing, the occasional tremolos and the speed of HEart Of The Ages. Indeed, had this album been released circa 2003, it would have been the equivalent of Enslaved's Below The Lights: The moment where all the elements come together to form a coherent whole, the zenith in which the band finds itself and its own sound, established now in an even and balanced manner. Sadly, Enslaved would go on to release BtL parts II, III, IV and so on, and ItW would oversleep and miss its opportunity (in that respect its situation is more similar to bands outside of metal, like GY!BE or MBV, but I digress).

The songs themselves each take their time to develop themes, to build structures and generate tension and relief as they see fit, to great success. No one, I think, has the grounds to doubt this group's compositional skills, even though it has always been ambiance the one defining element that drives their music and makes it as memorable as it is. Heavy riffing is abruptly interrupted by distant and clean guitars, painting impressionist arpeggios over keyboards that, thankfully, don't suffer form the cheese disease so common amongst groups that made heavy use of them in the 90s. Fogarty makes a conscious attempt at sounding like Transeth, and with great success, but his voice is deeper (both clean and the odd growl here and there) and is able to throw its own weight around without either being a flat-out tribute to the ex-vocalist nor risking sounding out of place. He's a bit more dynamic, also, I think. The Botteri brothers are as sharp as they were in 2000. The guitars have at their disposition a generous number of timbres that allow them to constantly change temperament and provide wild mood swings that the other elements (rhythm, lyrics, envelope) follow to the best of their abilities.

There is a particularly memorable, poignant moment just past halfway through the album that I feel needs mention. It'll sound like a gimmick to most, but I found it to be very honest and emotional. Smack dab in the middle of track 7, "Towards the Black Surreal", a title which already smells of reminiscence and a breezy window to colder pasts, the intensity of the music comes to a halt and slow, mournful drums and keys lead way to a self-referential musical quotation straight out of Yearning The Seeds Of A New Dimention, the opener track to their debut LP. It took me completely by surprise. I thought they were taking the piss at first, but it quickly grew on me. It's not a cheap way to appeal to past fans. It's a confirmation. It's the band saying "it's still us, and no passage of time will change that fact". They are still able, they are still themselves, not lost to the wild tides of time and inaction. The fact that one of the most memorable motifs of their first (and, to my personal preference, most wonderful) album works perfectly over 20 years after the fact speaks volumes of their ability to adapt without sacrificing their idiosyncrasy as a musical entity.

I think that pretty much does it for this review. The album is up to the brim with wonderful music, imaginative arrangements and a sense of self-awareness that the majority of the "zombie" band of the past few years lack, which would usually mean a roaring success, if not for the fact that, by remaining a bit too true to their sound, they've forgotten that it was change, adaptability, innovation and progression what made their name one to be included in the annals of metal history (that and their insanely gorgeous early ambiance). I suppose that I, as a dear fan of the band and a critic of stagnation in general, am being much too harsh on this album. After all it's over an hour of great music made by a great band. Does it really make any difference that it's been released now instead of ten years ago when their music would have been all the more relevant? Well, by definition, yes. And that's why I'm not going over the top with the rating. But to all those out there with less hangups than me, I implore you include this album in your list of works not to overlook. If you do, I'm sure it'll be on your shortlist for album of the year.