In the Woods... is probably one of the least known bands of the doom metal genre. Mixing dark ambiance with progressive avant garde heavy metal, they have become a behemoth of a band that is deserving of some close recognition. They originally started out as the death metal band Green Carnation, at least until the bands lead member (main composer and guitarist Tchort) left to join the black metal Emperor. After Tchort"s departure, the band members started a new project called In The Woods..., releasing their first demo in 1993. They released their first full length album,
Heart Of Ages, in 1995. Their sophomore album,
Omnio, became their instant classic.
Omnio also marks the turning point of In The Woods..." harsh black metal into a more soothing sound, adding keyboards, female vocals, and the occasional distortion and dean singing to add to the complexity of the band. The band finally came to an end when Tchort returned to Green Carnation in 1999, and released their last album,
Three Times Seven On A Pilgrimage, which contained a bunch of cover songs by bands like Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, and King Crimson.
299,796 Km/s is the first track on the album. The 14:46 minute epic track begins with a soothing violin followed by a wall of doomy guitar riffs and steady pounds on the drums before kicking into a very steady riffage. By the 2 minute mark, the vocals kick in. The male vocals are very much like a lighter My Dying Bride and are backed by female vocals at random moments. Bass kicks in and the song gains some heavy atmosphere. At a little over 4 minutes, the song has a soft violin and ambient breakdown. The song then progresses into a melodic guitar riff and steady bass lines. The drums later kick in and the vocalist shows off more of his My Dying Bride-esque vocals. At 8 minutes the song regains it"s heaviness that leads into a very dominate atmospheric sound accompanied by a wicked guitar solo as the song slowly comes to a Halt. Ending track one and leaving the listener in awe.
The next track is probably one of the most famous tracks by In The Woods...,
I Am your Flesh. The song begins with heavy riffage and (what I like to call) Dracula vocals. The song also contains some vicious growls that impress along with heavy blast beats and devastating guitar riffs. The song has several random bass and guitar breakdowns but keeps a very strong keyboard line throughout the track. The song finally fades off an a heavy note, accompanied by more wicked guitar work. [b]Kairos![b] follows, with very moody guitar plucks that bursts into heavy bass lines and a steady guitar riff after about 45 seconds. The song is the shortest track on the album, clocking only 3 and a half minutes. This doesn"t mean the track fails to deliver a powerful punch, keeping its" vicious riffage and drum line through out, it is the least progressive song on the album.
Weeping Willows is another epic track clocking at 11 minutes and 39 seconds. The track begins with a dark ambient intro followed by violins and more distorted ambiance before it kicks into the guitars, bass and vocals all at once. The track is another powerful one like
299,796 Km/s with similar dynamics, but a much more atmospheric sound. The track is also a lot slower and contains some great keyboard riffs. The song keeps a very similar and steady pace throughout, with occasional blast beats near the end and another haunting guitar solo. The next three tracks are all technically one monster track,
Omnio?.
Omnio?: Pre begins with some beautiful aurora bell chimes and dark ambiance before it fades into low guitar strums and violins. Vocals and drums kick in a little after the 2 minute marker. The song then breaks into a powerful guitar and synth wall of sound at 3 and a half minutes. The song keeps the same pace, but is a lot more atmospheric, heavier, and more dynamic then before. The song has a melodic breakdown at around 7 and a half minutes before going back into more heavy guitar riffs. The song then keeps it"s normal pace until it finally fades and ends at 11 minute sand 59 seconds.
Omnio?: Bardo is more of an instrumental, ambient track then an actual song. The song is full of dark ambiance and synthesizers before going into a powerful guitar solo and finally fading into the next and final track.
Omnio?: Post is the final track of the
Omnio? trilogy. The song has a very mono piano melody and female vocals at the beginning of the song. The song then slowly progresses into more complicated keyboard riffs and even guitars in the background as the woman continues to express her haunting vocals. At about 2 minutes the song breaks into heavy guitar riffs and eventually leads into more vocal chanting and finally picks up to be much like the song
Kairos!. The song then goes into a very soft, ambient moment while the male vocals dominate the atmosphere. The song picks up one more time on a very heavy note before finally fading off, ending one of the best albums of avant garde/ doom metal"s short history.
Pros
-- Great production.
-- Great vocal work and lyrics.
-- Overall astounding musicianship.
-- Nonstop epical dynamics and soothing melodies.
-- Simply a perfect doom album classic.
Cons
-- No one seems to really know much about this band and how simply amazing they really are.
-- The album cover is rather bland.
Track Listing
1. 299, 796 Km/s (5/5)
2. I Am Your Flesh (5/5)
3. Kairos! (4.5/5)
4. Weeping Willows (5/5)
5. Omnio?: Pre (4.5/5)
6. Omnio?: Bardo (3.5/5)
7. Omnio?: Post (4/5)
