Review Summary: A haunting black metal cinema.
A Forest of Stars have always been one of the most uniquely unsettling bands in the black metal genre. They depict Victorian-era imagery mixed with blasphemous synth-work and atmospheric black metal guitar leads, giving the consumer a lot to chew on at any given time. They haven't changed their style much over the years, but they never really had to. Their niche in the genre is something that no other bands have ever tried to copy, which is unusual in the black metal scene. No, these guys aren't kvlt, they're not having escapades in the forest and they don't write exclusively anti-Christian lyrics like a lot of black metal bands, but they do bring to life a gothic-style of old-school black metal for everyone to enjoy and their newest album,
Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface, just might be their greatest achievement to date.
The vibes that this band has always been able to bring are very much present on this album, but are turned up to the top-notch. Their ghostly imagery always has the listener feeling as if they're stuck in a dark, haunted castle with little room for escape. The violin work in particular always gives off a sense of impending dread, floating in the background at all times and really bringing forth that haunted, spectral feeling that A Forest of Stars is known for. ‘Ascension of the Clowns’ sounds exactly how the name suggests, starting off with some ambient soundscapes before the violin lulls you into a demon-like trance that makes you sound as if you're at a fancy ball in the 1800s. The track then bursts into an atmospheric black metal epic with melodic tremolo picking, blast beats and some of Mister Curse's trademark howling vocals.
The flow of the album is what really makes it special. Each and every track feels like a chapter in a long, demented fairytale. Katheryne, Queen of the Ghosts’ violin playing, once again, dominates most of the album, complimenting the riffage in the background to an absolute tee. Her whimsical vocals also add an eerie counterpart to Mister Curse's roaring and yelping. It can't be stated enough that the atmosphere of
Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface is just so intensely medieval sounding and romantic. These guys definitely take a few notes from fellow countrymen Cradle of Filth in the way that they perfect that gothic black metal sound. Every track sounds like an old-fashioned ghost story that would freak out even the most seasoned of metal veterans.
Riffs aren't a big part of what A Forest of Stars does and they really don't have to be. They're a perfect compliment to the dominance of the violin playing and add even more atmosphere to an album that is chock-full of it. The vocals act as an extra instrument just based on the range of both Mister Curse and Katheryne, Queen of the Ghosts. As mentioned earlier, the overall flow of the album is to die for. Each track brings forth a different creepy element to what A Forest of Stars are trying to accomplish and they pull off this feat to absolute perfection.
Simply put,
Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface is A Forest of Stars’ greatest achievement to date. It's a culmination of every single element that has made them a great band for a long time now. Some of their other albums may feel a bit disjointed in some ways, albeit still fantastic, but this one never gives that impression. The way that these guys are able to ebb and flow through each and every song without ever sacrificing the atmosphere, killer vocals or subtle riffage is really something to behold. A Forest of Stars have been around for quite a while now with a catalogue full of bangers, but
Stack Overflow In Corpse Pile Interface stands above them all. This is their magnum opus.
