Apathy

Released 7/7/2017, Apathy was the third and final demo in a trilogy invoking sadness, detachment, and despair. The production quality is noticeably improved from the previous two demos. Suicide Forest almost proudly proclaims that the recording was done without the use of sample replacement or MIDI programming.

The title and cover image set the stage for what’s in store with the two full songs and the two instrumental interludes. Apathetic starts with haunting keyboards and then eventually erupts into fast and unrelenting tremolo picking. The first track feels just as at home in the Pacific Northwest as it does from the desert Southwest where it was conceived. This is a sorrowful waltz feeding a sense of despair, where the repetition is not a fault but rather a tool to convey the absolute bleakness of what feels like a great loss.

The second track is an ambient affair filled with ongoing arpeggios bathed in reverb. Based on the song title, this track likely utilized the Bloodmoon reverb pedal to build a dismal repetition that slowly decays into discomfort.

The discomfort continues in Lucis Absentia (absence of light) which begins with a slow dirge that is unsettling as it is. To further paint the picture of an existence without happiness or excitement, this track is coupled with a sample of Heaven’s Gate founder Marshall Applewhite talking about repeating his words from his previous lives, “I am here saying it again” and suggesting that time is short and that the planet is to be recycled. The sample ends with Applewhite stating that the planet is a stepping stone, quickly followed by guitars in a steady cadence feeling like a step has indeed been taken. The track continues to evolve with a downright dismal riff that repeats enough times for one to really sink into the experience. Some have said it has transcendental qualities and the song certainly does convey the absence of light, and the clear lack of excitement.

The demo ends in a somber piano piece that has an almost jarring clunk as it repeats. A subtle reminder that it is not a lullaby lulling the listener to sleep but indeed a somber uneasy end, an end to the release and an end to the trilogy of demos. While released separately, these three demos and the six tracks contained within could easily be on one cohesive release.