Forest Stream Tears Of Mortal Solitude
Elitist MOSH904 CD 27th January 2003
By Russell Garwood
Exemplifying Elitists ethos, the latest release from Forest Stream fits perfectly in a rather disparate roster. The Russian trio play an unusual form of blackened, symphonic doom, and this, their debut full-length, is the first in a concept trilogy. Representing all the sorrow, Tears Of Mortal Solitude endeavours to drown you in crushing, bleak melodies and morose instrumentation, while the following albums will focus on majesty, and then hate. As is to be expected, this is a dark and depressing release; wailing discordant guitars are juxtaposed by longing acoustic picking, harsh guttural vocals offset haunting symphonics, and slow drums create an almost intangible yet ever-present feel of impending doom.
The three men responsible for this all-enveloping dirge-like atmosphere stand as Sonm, who is responsible for the keyboards, vocals and programming, guitarist Wizard Omin and Silent Anth on bass. Standouts include mellow opener Autumn Elegy, Legend for the intertwined violins and guitars, a blacker yet still emotive track Mel Kor and the epic Black Swans. In fact, my only criticism of this album is that, at times, the emotion feels forced. This only occurs occasionally, however, when the depressing riffs can begin to feel generic, and doesnt mar the rest of the music. Overall, Forest Stream have created an excellent recording of suffocating, unadulterated sorrow, which should be enjoyed by doom and many symphonic black fans. Negativity of the highest degree..
Elitist MOSH904 CD 27th January 2003
By Russell Garwood
Exemplifying Elitists ethos, the latest release from Forest Stream fits perfectly in a rather disparate roster. The Russian trio play an unusual form of blackened, symphonic doom, and this, their debut full-length, is the first in a concept trilogy. Representing all the sorrow, Tears Of Mortal Solitude endeavours to drown you in crushing, bleak melodies and morose instrumentation, while the following albums will focus on majesty, and then hate. As is to be expected, this is a dark and depressing release; wailing discordant guitars are juxtaposed by longing acoustic picking, harsh guttural vocals offset haunting symphonics, and slow drums create an almost intangible yet ever-present feel of impending doom.
The three men responsible for this all-enveloping dirge-like atmosphere stand as Sonm, who is responsible for the keyboards, vocals and programming, guitarist Wizard Omin and Silent Anth on bass. Standouts include mellow opener Autumn Elegy, Legend for the intertwined violins and guitars, a blacker yet still emotive track Mel Kor and the epic Black Swans. In fact, my only criticism of this album is that, at times, the emotion feels forced. This only occurs occasionally, however, when the depressing riffs can begin to feel generic, and doesnt mar the rest of the music. Overall, Forest Stream have created an excellent recording of suffocating, unadulterated sorrow, which should be enjoyed by doom and many symphonic black fans. Negativity of the highest degree..
