Reviews for The Crown of Winter

[Berserk]

http://www.bloodchamber.de/cd/f/6171/

So far, the Russian band FOREST STREAM somehow completely passed on to me. And even though I really very much listening to Doom Metal. When I then "The Crown of Winter" for the first time have heard, I have no bad gestaunt. Eight brilliant and top songs and expect the listener bribe by high quality and a clever fusion of influences from the Doom, Black Metal and Gothic area.

"The Crown of Winter" is, I believe, a fitting title for the second studio work of the Russian Sextet. The music enchanted by her mystical and atmospheric intensity and excited by sophisticated technology and versatility. Melancholy and gloomy are the appropriate terms to the plate to describe. "Feral Magic" opens up the plant and transports the listener directly into the wintry realm of FOREST STREAM. The album offers poignant ballads chilling Badlands also a musical hardship, especially through the rugged guitar riffs and dark bass is produced. Especially pungent are out "Bless you to die" and "The Seventh Symphony of Satan", because significant elements of Black Metal at the beginning of the hearing. The whole thing is supported by growlende times and sometimes clean vocals by the singer Sonm Darkest. Through the piano melody is combined with bass guitar and a monumental work of art. Music and singing in harmony and fully formed a perfect frame for the tragedy. FOREST STREAM can be bad with other bands from the Doom genre, since they create a completely separate style to develop. That may be because not all eight songs strictly the Doom-follow patterns and therefore skirmish. Full instrument deployment times and provide up-tempo offerings.

"The Crown of Winter 'takes you into endless expanses and offers the perfect soundtrack for lonely winter hours, in particular, for a total playing time of almost 60 minutes! An album of the highest class, which is always and always wants to hear. As I see it plain on the clichéd nicknames of gang members, such as Berserk or Tyrant Moloch, across. And also about the odd alarm scene at the beginning of "Beautiful Nature". For me, definitely the biggest highlight so far of new releases this year. That's why for me would be nothing less than 10 points in question. However, you can easily elated by good music and not consider that there may be better to follow. So rather 9th..

9/10

 

[Berserk]

One more:
http://www.metalreview.com/Reviews/5099/Forest-Stream-The-Crown-Of-Winter.aspx

The cover of Forest Stream’s new record, The Crown of Winter, is a stunner. In every shade of glacial blue, it depicts a venerable sailing ship frozen aslant in icebound waters, agonizingly close to a pair of monolithic pillars announcing passage to the craft’s apparent destined terminus. Desolate gloom belies the assured calm of the scene’s hues, suggesting that the music contained within is built on contrasts. Indeed, Forest Stream bring from their home in Chernogolovka, Russia, the classic contradictions of light and dark, airy and heavy, beautiful and bleak that define doom-death. All the obvious references here will ring true for the seasoned fan of the genre, including Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Swallow the Sun, and early Anathema. There is also more than a cursory indulgence in Opethian structure and style, as well as some overt bows (and a curtsy) to Dimmu Borgir where the band aims to take an audacious step outside the bounds.

The album’s brief intro, “Feral Magic,” brings the arctic ambiance of the art to life with frosty strings playing a dark and beautiful commencement to the title track. Icy piano plays comfort to the dreariness of heavy guitar on “The Crown of Winter,” while clean vocals alternate with rumbling growls in keeping true to the doom-death formula. (As an aside, the orchestral accompaniment on this track is eerily reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s “Changes.&#8221 This is pretty much the order of the day for the remaining tracks, with the exception of “Bless You to Die” and “The Seventh Symphony of Satan,” each of which is adorned with the Dimmu sort of symphonic black metal preamble before settling back into the album’s established disposition.

Even obviously beholden to the founders of the style, Forest Stream appropriate the pieces into an enjoyable semblance of originality in the beginning. The aforementioned title track, while familiar, escapes mediocrity by virtue of its composition. Regal, haunting melodic leads and some fetching solos hoist “Mired” above banality, despite its pedestrian structure, and “Bless You to Die” manages to stay fresh with a bridge that flings staccato’d keys and orchestral flourishes into a maelstrom of lightly blackened thrash, simple though it may be.

And this is where the pleasantries are cast to the winds, as the remaining tracks on The Crown of Winter range from tried and tired to utterly unpalatable. Beginning with “The Autumn Dancers,” the gloss has become hazed as composition is recycled and melodies command nothing stronger or more descriptive than words like ‘nice’ or ‘pretty’ or ‘sad.’ The Dimmu worship becomes intolerable on “The Seventh Symphony of Satan,” despite the fact it lasts but a few minutes before it decomposes into a flagging rehash of the album’s earlier songs. Three things become dreadfully obvious with this track and especially its successor, “Beautiful Nature”: 1) the best of the melodies on this album are owed without doubt to Opeth and Katatonia, 2) the meandering orchestral breaks do little more than disrupt what the listener might otherwise enjoy in these homages, and 3) the reason that spoken word pieces are kept to a minimum in music is that they are irrefutably pretentious at best and ridiculously silly at worst, as is the case here where they are afforded an obscene amount of time.

The Crown of Winter is an awful lot like that cover art in that, just as the crew of that mighty vessel had their destination in sight, and as surely as their hearts rejoiced at this, something seems to have gone seriously awry in their preparatory strategy, the result being a journey only half-realized.

 

[Berserk]

http://powermetal.de/review/review-Forest_Stream/The_Crown_Of_Winter,14351.html

Google translation:

What an atmospherically dense, vivid and emotionally exciting listening experience. Great sound art!
"The Crown Of Winter", the second disc of FOREST STREAM, is in the basic orientation very quiet and soulful voiced - just an album of gentle tones. Yet there is much to discover, because there are few tougher passages for perfect contrast gezaubert out of the hat. And these points with racing majestic Black Metal or Doom Metal are also fully managed, however, listen to some more commonplace on. Great art, but rather the quiet, dreamy sonic landscapes, the unloading and full of gentle melancholy umgarnen the listener. 'Beautiful Nature' is perhaps the prime example of this - the ingratiating melody and quietly, but forcefully spoken vocals make for a gooseflesh atmosphere, as they told me in its intensity and strong long come under. Touching, captivating, deeply.

For something more dynamic parts shine again parallels to Opeth by both as well as vocals from the instrumental Intonierung ago. Even when emotional aspect, it is most likely Opeth, the intensity of the atmosphere higher than the most obvious comparison in mind. And mentions that the whole thing in its entirety, but musically a good deal of the men around Mikael Åkerfeldt away. It is particularly impressive, with what ease FOREST STREAM apparently these emotional, atmospheric and great rousing music from the sleeve shake. The Russian band creates music on this album full of magical beauty with just as variable as haunting vocals, and great keyboard, like a soft veil over the music set. "The Crown Of Winter" draws in the first hearing completely in his spell and has plenty of potential for addiction. Who in quiet, soulful songs are not necessarily the wrinkled or Violent missing here should in any case, times to risk an ear.

As a tip can scan the inclined listeners only the complete album in one piece anempfohlen be.

9.5/10

 

[Sonm]

From the frosty depths of Russia comes Forest Stream, a doom metal band that basks in the bleakness of winter. Writing epic compositions that incorporate symphonic black metal and gothic elements, the band recreates the chilly atmosphere of their home country on The Crown Of Winter. The six tracks, plus an intro and outro, weave a tale of loneliness and depression with no peaks of bright light shining through the murky skies. With the average length of each song around the nine-minute mark, Forest Stream keeps the pace steady, switching between bouts of aggression and moments of pure tranquility underneath waves of soft keyboards and clean guitars.
Each song is the equivalence of trekking on a crisp December afternoon through a path covered in a thin layer of snow, before a crushing blizzard appears out of thin air. The black metal sections are only a small portion of the album, making each instance of them an explosive surprise. “Blessed You To Die” and the aptly-titled “The Seventh Symphony Of Satan” are perfectly-placed to provide a reprieve from the mid-paced doom metal that dominates the majority of the album.
Musically, Forest Stream excels at their respected instruments, especially in the keyboard department, but lacks a strong vocal presence. While the harsh barks and growls are effective, the clean singing ranges from competent to powerless. Since the latter is used more than the former, it becomes a disappointing nuisance.
Forest Stream has a sound to them that is reminiscent of other bands in the genre, yet has a touch of originality to it. The songwriting has kinks that need to be worked out in the near future, including songs with over-extended endings and unnecessary sections that pad out the length. The Crown Of Winter is another step in the right direction for Forest Stream, showing potential for long-term success.

3.5/5
http://heavymetal.about.com/od/f/gr/foreststream-thecrownofwinter.htm

 

[Sonm]

It was MN tipped

http://www.metalnews.de/?metalid=05&action=show&cdid=3850
6/7

"Russland ist immer eine Reise wert!"

Mit FOREST STREAM habe ich endlich einmal die Ehre eine russische Band bewerten zu dürfen. Als Black Metal und Pagan Metal Hörer kenne ich natürlich die russischen Heiden von NOMANS LAND, aber Black/Gothic/Doom Metal à la FOREST STREAM kannte ich bisher nicht aus dem kalten Russland. Man lernt jeden Tag etwas Neues und wenn die Band schon bei Candlelight Records sind, dann wird das schon seine Gründe haben. In der Tat haben FOREST STREAM mit „The Crown Of Winter“ ein bezaubernd schönes, aber auch trauriges, Album hingelegt.

Schon alleine das wunderschöne Cover-Artwork von „The Crown Of Winter“ lädt zum Träumen ein und die Musik ist der perfekte Soundtrack zu diesem Bild. So bewegen sich FOREST STREAM, gefühlsmäßig, zwischen einer Mischung aus Anmut, Melancholie, Verträumtheit, aber auch Brachialität. Die Tracks haben die entsprechende Länge, so ist kein Song, außer dem Intro [Feral Magic] und dem Outro [My Awakening Dreamland], unter acht Minuten lang. Mit knapp einer Stunde Gesamtspielzeit hat man dann auch genug Zeit, um in die magischen Gefilde von FOREST STREAM einzutauchen. Musikalisch ausgedrückt werden diese Gefühle mit dem Zusammenspiel von sehr vielen epischen, langsamen und ruhigen Parts, in denen in vielen Fällen auch Klargesang zum Einsatz kommt. Dem entgegengesetzt wird das Album in der Hälfte der Spielzeit durchaus etwas härter und es kommen Growls und Black Metal Passagen zum Einsatz. Also auch die harten Jungs dürften etwas finden, was ihnen gefällt. Sind die Black Metal Teile durchaus gut gespielt, so entfaltet sich die wahre Stärke von „The Crown Of Winter“ auf jeden Fall in seinen anmutigen Passagen, die einen mitreißen und auch in diese wohlige Melancholie stürzen. Sänger Somn meistert sowohl die schwarzmetallischen wie auch die klargesanglichen Stücke exzellent. Überhaupt beherrscht hier jeder Mann sein Instrument und das Songwriting ist auch wirklich gelungen. Selbst in den härtesten Black Metal Passagen finden sich teilweise Synthies, welche die Musik in eine neue Sphäre erheben. Schön auch, dass man zwei Männer an den Gitarren hat, das tut dem Sound von FOREST STREAM gut. Was gibt es Negatives zu sagen – nun man könnte die brutalen Parts etwas zurückschrauben und sich vielleicht noch mehr auf den düsteren, melancholischen Teil konzentrieren. Manchmal häufen sich dann doch die harten Töne und man wünscht sich wieder in diese andere, schwermütige, Welt zurück. Ansonsten gibt es hier nicht viel zu meckern. Der Anfang von „The Crown Of Winter“ mit dem Intro und dem Titeltrack hat mir ein sehr ähnliches Gefühl verschafft, wie damals, als ich zum ersten Mal „Judgement“ von ANATHEMA eingeworfen habe. Musikalisch zwar nicht vergleichbar, aber die Seele ist dieselbe.

Vor „The Crown Of Winter“ haben FOREST STREAM zwei Demos und ein Debüt-Album veröffentlicht und konnten sich also schon einen kleinen Namen in der Musikwelt machen. Außerdem haben sie auch an einem KATATONIA-Tribut Album teilgenommen. Ich bin mir sicher, dass „The Crown Of Winter“ viele Seelen und Herzen öffnen wird, wenn man der CD nur eine Chance gibt. Der Name FOREST STREAM mag nicht wahnsinnig bekannt sein, aber nach dieser Scheibe sollte er es eigentlich sein. Sechs Punkte!

 

[Berserk]

http://www.metalitalia.com/cds/view.php?cd_pk=7846

The Forest Stream doomsters Russians took six years to produce the successor to their popular debut "Tears Of Mortal Solitude", released in 2003 on Earache. Since then, there are only so many lineup changes and participating in a tribute album dedicated to Katatonia. Today, however, we find the band on Candlelight Records and strong note of a new studio work, which, broadly follows the musical details of his predecessor, although in the most professional in other ways. The production has improved not because of too little and the performance of our instrumental stood at levels dignitosissimi. Stylistically, as mentioned, Forest Stream have maintained several links with the past, continuing to mix doom-death to the old My Dying Bride with some riff-flavored prog, which inevitably accomplice also the extensive use of the growl, to see Opeth . Even the Finns Swallow The Sun could be cited, especially by some of the atmosphere between the epic and melancholy, but perhaps there is no need to exaggerate with the comparisons. The Forest Stream will not be an original band, but certainly not limited to copy and right-missing. They are also capable of producing personal ideas, see the mix of death-doom and symphonic black standard bearer of which is "The Seventh Symphony Of Satan". And anyway, even when they are so un po 'derivative or discount (see the texts / titles, or vocal), in terms of form, there is usually little to pin them. In short, we are dealing with a solid and experienced group, the classic point of reference for the die hard fan of the genre.

Rating: 7.0

 

[Berserk]

http://www.metalasylum.net/reviews/2009/mr09102.php

Rating: 8.5/10


First great band out of Russia? Possibly, as they create a hypnotic sound that doesn’t rely on brute force (yet aren’t afraid to use it either), but rather intricacies and artistry. The opening 2:21 intro is awash in orchestral strings, then it’s on to an intriguing mix of early Opeth (death/clean vocals interplay with acoustic guitar and death metal), Tiamat (ethereal “Wildhoney” era), masters of the esoteric Tenhi and the melancholic My Dying Bride (‘The Beautiful Nature’, complete with piano and spoken voiceover). Articulate, with a high degree of craftsmanship (four of the six proper tunes exceed nine minutes).


Moments of harp and acoustics can be found amongst the lengthy instrumental passages of the title cut. ‘Mired’ begins with pastoral, almost whispered voices, then sudden burst of gruff throats, never loosing sight of the multi-layered, infectious soundscape behind it. It ends in synthesizer spaceyness. ‘The Seventh Symphony Of Satan’ (why couldn’t it be #7 in the running order?) opens with imposing crescendo and a terrified female scream for the album’s most black metal-ish number. However, the mid-section is as light and airy as anything else found on “The Crown Of Winter”, before getting nasty once more, for its finale. A remarkable find!

 

[feoff]

Действительно, кому в родном совке вы нужны? %)

http://metalarea.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=89913&st=90&p=659513&#entry659513

 

[Sonm]

О! Спасибо!! Процитируем!
http://metalarea.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=89913&st=90

========================================
Музыка: Группа играет очень интересную смесь Doom, Death, и Black (symphonic) с тоннами красивых отшлифованных мелодий, и хорошо выполненной зловещей атмосферой, великолепной комбинацией чистого и Death-гроул вокалов, что и является одним из сильных пунктов альбома. Песни довольно продолжительны, но не скучны, и сделаны на самом качественном уровне.
Всяческие влияния различных групп делают это еще более разнообразным. Представленные мелодии имеют жилистое разнообразие, напоминая середину 90-ых Katatonia, ранних Anathema и Tiamat, также Cradle of filth, Dimmu Borgir и Opeth.
Объемный звук медленных Doom-секций, резкий скрежет Black-метал риффов, и фактически весьма привлекательный, нежный Gothic. Кроме немногочисленных гиперактивных потоков гитарных риффов гитаристов (Wizard Omin и Berserk), что они делают довольно умело и мастерски, также в любой неожиданный момент могут родиться болезненные красивые мелодии с большими чувствами и эмоциями. Подавляющая атмосфера усилена разнообразием барабанов: мы получаем некоторые сегменты бас-барабанов, дополненные некоторыми быстрыми бласт-битами. Сопровождающие клавиши, Elhella, (единственный участник группы женского пол&#1072 также принимают важную роль в процессе наложения настроения альбома. Вокалист, Sonm the Darkest владеет эмоциональными чистыми вокалами столь же хорошо как и комбинацией глубокого рычания/крика.

Музыка, охватывает красоту и волшебство существования, но в то же самое время показывает страдания, муку, отчаяние, депрессию и меланхолию, вот что приходит на ум, слушая альбом.
Это – музыка, которая нуждается в серьезном и внимательном прослушивании, наверняка для определенного настроения. Но когда Вы находитесь в нужном настроении, закрывайте Ваши глаза и Вас уносит к местам, которые Вы никогда не видели прежде, навеянные мелодиями Северной меланхолии.

Песни: Краткое вступление альбома, 1. Feral Magic представляет арктическое окружение, играя мрачное и красивое начало к заглавной песне, с мягкими нежными симфоническими клавишами, навеивающее тоску и меланхолию.
2. The Crown of Winter - это мирные тихие воды, волны которых слегка усиливаются, плавно переходят в своего рода шторм, выбрасывая тебя в открытое море и ты дрейфуешь одиноко на старенькой лодке. Фантастическая заглавная песня, которая может быть описана как gothic doom/death, который содержит мягкие, нежные пассажи, ледяное фортепьяно, мрачные тяжелые гитары, в то время как чистые вокалы чередуются с безумными рычаниями, а в заключении, мы услышим, немного женского вокала.
3. Mired - талантливая, виртуозная последовательность душевной жалобной меланхолии (аля-Tiamat, Anathema) и резкоизменяющийся melodeath снабженный проникновенными эмоциями. Продолжается борьба с водной стихией, пытаясь плыть к счастливому существованию.
4. Bless You To Die - симфонические, красивые, мечтательные мотивы вступления и далее, впоследствии, переходит в абсолютно разъяренный Dimmu Borgir-подобный black metal с обильными резкими гитарами и дробью барабанов. Слышна боль и тоска, ненависть и удушье, отрешённость и забвение.
5. The Autumn Dancers - как продолжение нашего яростного взлета в более умеренной манере, поскольку структура и характер мелодий не являются ничем более сильным или более наглядным, чем как слова «капризный и задумчивый» или «изящный и красивый».
6. The Seventh Symphony Of Satan – и снова ярость и разрушение, основаны на холодных Dimmu symphonic black metal резко выраженных гитарных риффах и доминирующих клавишах колеблющихся между затишьем перед бурей, и самой бурей.
7. Beautiful Nature - очень элегантный открывающийся творческим стихом (аля-Anathema), цветочный и тонкий с синтезаторными дополнениями, отменными соло-гитарами, кульминационный момент. К концу альбома, инстинктивное падение слез, погружение в глубокий траур и темную вечность...
8. Outro (My Awakening Dreamland) - завершение магии и красоты атмосферными синтезаторами.
„The Crown of Winter”, я полагаю, подходящий заголовок для второго студийного произведения русского секстета. Музыка околдовывает ее таинственной и атмосферной силой и воодушевленно отточенной техникой и разнообразием. Потрясающая коллекция музыкальных идей и разнообразие пения, где каждые детали соответствуют, основанные на классических противоречиях: легких и темных, воздушных и тяжелых, красивых и холодных.
Великолепный альбом 9/10,
а если брать во внимание что это чудо сотворили Россияне, то вообще 10/10.
===============================================

 

[Sonm]

http://www.infernalmasquerade.com/?q=reviews/00341-forest-stream-crown-winter-2009
90/100 (-10 for our tries to go our own way))

Have you ever wondered what a band with multiple personality disorder (MPD) would sound?, well look no further since Forest Stream has a very interesting case of MPD.“The Crown Of Winter” features 4 tracks of amazing Gothic Death/ Doom Metal, 2 tracks of Melodic Black Metal (Emperor style) and one intro and one outro tracks.
While the band excels at both styles, it’s still pretty weird to listen to such a shocking change from one song to the other!. Luckily for them I’m not a genre purist and only reviews one type of music well and trashes the rest, since this would have been very negative for this amazing release.
While the intro and outro tracks are just fillers in my opinion but help set the mood, I will review the Gothic Doom personality of the band first. The tracks “The Crown Of Winter”, “Mired” and “Autum Dancers” are a perfect example of what Gothic Death /Doom Metal is all about, they create a very depressing atmosphere with lavish keyboards, mournful guitars and brutal growls add some melancholic clean vocals and you have a masterpiece in this genre. All three tracks clock in around 30 minutes and are the biggest chunk of the album.
The band’s perfect mixture of influences makes their sound very depressive and brutal a rare find these days, all band members are clearly influenced by old school My Dying Bride and Katatonia just to name a few.
Now for the Melodic Black Metal personality of the band, the two tracks “Bless You To Die” and “The Seventh Symphony of Satan” sound exactly like what Emperor was doing in their last album. The mixture of keyboard overtones, awesome guitar work, restless drumming and a combination of harsh and clean vocals is a hard thing to compose and pull of correctly but Forest Stream excels at it.
Both BM songs total 17 minutes but they are strategically placed in the album to completely change the pace of things and in a way destroy the depressive feeling achieved be the songs prior to them.
As a whole this band is probably trying to do something original by combining two genres into the album, but it’s just too odd to listen to such changes in the music. While they are great musicians, they should focus in playing only one style or merging both into a style of their own, not do a copy a paste job and screw up the flow of the album.
I really enjoyed “The Crown Of Winter” but I was annoyed by the un announced change of pace, this release would probably appeal to fans of both genres looking for something different, or with a very big open mind.

 

[feoff]

Have you ever wondered what a band with multiple personality disorder (MPD) would sound?, well look no further since Forest Stream has a very interesting case of MPD.

The reviewer rocks!
What kind of mental disease would he mention in his reviews on e.g. Esoteric albums?

Now for the Melodic Black Metal personality of the band, the two tracks “Bless You To Die” and “The Seventh Symphony of Satan” sound exactly like what Emperor was doing in their last album. The mixture of keyboard overtones, awesome guitar work, restless drumming and a combination of harsh and clean vocals is a hard thing to compose and pull of correctly but Forest Stream excels at it.

IMHO, Prometheus... is much more complicated thing. It took me a year or two to get fully into it.

 

[Sonm]

Another 9/10!!!
http://www.metallized.de/forum/showthread.php?t=14198

===========
Weites Land, einzigartige Landschaften, wundervolle Flüsse und Seen auf der einen Seite, sowie Großstädte, eine blutige Geschichte und eine alles zerstörende Industrie auf der anderen Seite, sind die Bilder, die einem vor dem geistigen Auge erscheinen, wenn man an das große Russland denkt.

Ausgerechnet das aus der Nähe von Moskau stammende Sextett Forest Stream schafft es auf eine sehr intensive und besondere Weise, genau diese Bilder in den Köpfen der Hörer lebendig werden zu lassen und führt durch eben jene widersprüchliche Welt, wobei die musikalische Grundausrichtung verhältnismäßig ruhig ausgefallen ist.
Man möchte sich zunächst am liebsten einfach nur fallen lassen, das innere Auge schweifen lassen und durch diese träumerische Szenario geführt werden, denn Gefahren sind im ersten Moment nicht zu erkennen. Kurz nach Beginn der musikalischen „Wanderung“ wird dann aber klar, dass es nicht nur entlang ruhiger Pfade geht, auch wenn diese besonders in Erinnerung bleiben, sind sie doch durch sehr weiche und melancholische Keyboardmelodien umrandet.
Der „Wanderer“ wird immer wieder steinigen Passagen oder grässlichen Überbleibsel vergangener Zeiten begegnen, in denen die Natur weichen musste für künstlich, nach Plan erbaute Städte und Industriegebiete. In diesen Augenblicken ziehen sich die Keyboards in weite Ferne zurück und die Gitarren schlagen mit bedeutend mehr Kraft zu Buche, die Luft wird merklich rauer und kälter und Finsternis bricht herein. In diesen Momenten wird man dann begleitet von einer gelungenen Mischung aus Doom, Death und Black Metal, die durchaus Erinnerungen an Bands wie Opeth aufkommen lässt.
Es dominieren immer noch die Melodien, jedoch mit einer völlig anderen Grundstimmung und die verführerische Ruhe wirkt nun wie bedrückende Stille.
Der Gesang unterstützt die gesammelten Eindrücke in beachtlicher Weise und vermittelt stets die starke Emotionalität der Musik, dabei überzeugen vor allem wieder die ruhigen, geflüsterten und klar gesungen Passagen am meisten, jedoch erzeugen auch die tiefen Growls und durchaus gelungenen Black Metal-Vocals stets die richtige Atmosphäre.

Jeder der gern einmal aus dem Alltag ausbricht und sich in stimmungsvolle Weiten entführen lassen will, der sollte „The Crown Of Winter“ unbedingt gehört haben.


Bewertung: 9/10 Punkten

 

[Sonm]

5/6
Forest Stream is a band that can’t be tagged easily. On the one hand they can play light-hearted gothic metal and on the other hand they can blast bombastic black metal out of your speakers. “The Crown of Winter”, the second album of this Russian band, begins quite mellow with an intro followed by the eleven minute title track. A fantastic song that can be described as gothic doom/death an that contains mellow passages combined with heavy melodic doom/death; a beautiful song.
From song four on, called ‘Bless You To Die’, the black metal influences pop up. The inventive riffs remind a bit of Emperor and because of the orchestral keyboard parts you have to think of Dimmu Borgir as well. It took me several listening sessions to get to the bottom of this album. In the end the musicality of Forest Stream made me realize ‘The Crown of Winter’ is a very strong album. You definitely have to check out this album, especially when you dig bands like Katatonia, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir and similar acts.
Pim Blankenstein http://www.quintessence.sh/reviews/index.php?ReviewID=1089

 

[Sonm]

Am speechless.... Something is terribly wrong in this world...
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http://noisetasters.blogspot.com/2009/08/forest-stream-crown-of-winter-2009.html

Damn god! All the things that I’ve done in the last 6 years and all of them were with one only Forest Stream album to listen to. Finally I can live with one more Forest Stream record! The release date was a desperate thing about this album, formerly announced for March 23, the date was changed at the website of Candlelight Records and it was ‘til July that I got this CD. For those who doesn’t know this wonderful band from Russia, I’ve to tell you that they released in 2003 one of my favorite albums, after a friend introduced them to me as a black metal band I became a fan. But it results interesting that my friend, a black metal fan, didn’t even tell me a thing about doom metal. In fact, Forest Stream plays a good mixture of doom metal, black metal and gothic metal, but the most important thing here is the atmosphere. Their 2003 debut album titled “Tears Of Mortal Solitude” was a masterpiece of atmospheric metal, by the intensive use of keyboards this albums had a classical music oriented style, how to forget such a beautiful song as “Whole” or “Snowfall” or the ultra melancholic “Black Swans” everything was beautiful in this album, even the vocals, they used to combine growls with some orientation to black metal and clean vocals which occasionally had operatic intentions, everything with poetic lyrics created a great atmosphere. I was very anxious of listening to new songs from this band, one only album of this kind isn’t enough. After an instrumental introduction, starts the song of the same album title, and immediately I hear clean vocals. What happened to the clean vocals?! the ones on this songs are so… common, the same clean vocals used by any band, there aren’t any opera style here, nor spoken words. Well, leaving that behind for a while, the music is actually very good and it may not disappoint to any Forest Stream fan, the keys plays a very important role in the song, violins, flutes, piano, anything needed for a good atmosphere, the guitars are just the same, not so strong riffs. But a very important thing that we can hear immediately is a better recording quality. This 11 minutes song is played at mid tempo with a lot of doom metal influence, the new things here are the few seconds of female vocals at the end of the song. Following tracks stay at the same line, again, the clean vocals aren´t the same, Forest Streams use them a lot of times, the growls are exactly the same from “Tears Of Mortal Solitude”, the combination of both styles of vocals makes impossible for you to get bored. Maybe the strangest track on this album is “Bless You To Die”, call me “Emperor fan” but this song starts similar to “Empty” by Emperor… nevermind. In this track Forest Stream shows their deepest black metal influences, the song starts with a blast of up-tempo drums with good guitar riffs and, of course, the keys, but notice that not only in this song, but in all the album, the keys aren’t so important as they used to be. Also the vocals in this song have a more black-metal-oriented style. Forest Stream uses their better recording quality and gives to the drums a more important role, so you can imagine that all this new songs aren´t as atmospheric as the old ones. When we thought that the fast drums had just ended, we listen to “The Seventh Symphony Of Satan” a very poor title for a black metal song, and in fact, it is, we find more up-tempo parts but also long parts of only keys, this is actually a very good song. So, is this one a bad album?? IMO it isn’t, Forest Stream are great musicians and this album is a very good work. BUT, my problem is just to have listened to “Tears Of Mortal Solitude” before. If you have never listened to Forest Stream before, you’ll love this album. But I can’t help compare old and new stuff. When they combine growls and clean vocals at the same time in songs like “Beautiful Nature” it sounds like mediocre metal, this album is less serious and I even rather the lyrics from their debut. Recommended only for those who have never listened to “Tears Of Mortal Solitude”.


--Custodio

8/10

 

[Sonm]

You only look at that!!!! That's what I've found!!!!!
Some people GOT the message!!! Increadible!!! i thought that would never happen!!!!!!! God, that's the thing we all live for! Damn shite!!!!!
http://www.mastersland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=508&start=11250
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Forest Stream - их новый альбом Crown of Winter. Сейчас играет Seventh son of Satan, наверное, лучший трек на диске. В своей второй работе парни из Форест Стрим еще больше ушли в "инность", если можно так сказать. Музыка, что они нам представляют здесь - льдисто-холодная и какая-то ...не совсем человеческая (intro и outro не в сче&#1090. Вот уж не сказашеь об этих композициях - "ложатся на душу" и "поются где-то там на заднем фоне". Получился в итоге этакий альбом с мощным потусторонним "посылом", не от мира сего. При всем этом звук грамотный и четкий, профессионализм коллектива - несомненен; мощный саунд. Вот такие вот впечатления от пластинки номер два российской команды

 

[Sonm]

Trying to sell a black metal purist on the merits of symphonic black metal is a lot like trying to convince a jazz purist or a bop snob to listen to Pat Metheny and Al Di Meola. Metheny and Di Meola are masterful guitarists -- their success is well-deserved -- but to jazz purists and bop snobs, the very fact that their music contains rock elements is a deal-breaker. And similarly, the very fact that symphonic black metal is so decidedly melodic is a deal-breaker for all the black metal purists who will point to the unrelenting viciousness of Gorgoroth as a prime example of what black metal is "supposed" to sound like. Black metal purists aren't going to be sold on a symphonic black metal album like Crown of Winter no matter how much one raves about Forest Stream's musicality and sense of craftsmanship. But for those who do like their black metal with a lot of melody and nuance, this 2009 release is a generally enjoyable listen -- not a perfect listen, but a generally enjoyable one. Crown of Winter is best described as symphonic black metal with elements of melodic death metal, doom metal, and gothic metal, and Forest Stream aren't just slightly melodic -- they're extremely melodic. In fact, parts of the 59-minute CD are downright lush. Crown of Winter has its heavy moments and makes extensive use of extreme vocals (mostly black metal rasp vocals, although there are some death metal-influenced Cookie Monster growls as well), but overall, this album goes out of its way to be musical. Unfortunately, the clean vocals are Crown of Winter's most obvious weakness; they aren't nearly as effective or well done as the extreme vocals, which is problematic when you're going for the type of extreme vocals/clean vocals contrast that this Russian band favors. But even though Crown of Winter is mildly uneven, it still has more pluses than minuses and is a noteworthy footnote in the symphonic black metal scene of 2009. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
http://music.aol.com/album/the-crown-of-winter/1527398

 

[Omin]

Да кто ж сказал, что седьмая симфония СОТОНЫ-та?? Онанки, наперебой спешат удивить своей осведомленностью! На диске нигде не написано ж!

 

[Sonm]

Depuis 2003 et leur premier album, Tears Of Mortal Solitude, les nouvelles de FOREST STREAM se sont fait rares. Des changements de line-up et de label, désormais signés chez Candlelight les Russes proposent enfin une suite avec The Crown Of Winter. Ce nouvel album a une couleur très proche de KATATONIA à laquelle FOREST STREAM ajoute des arrangements orchestraux, "The Autumn Dancers" et "Beautiful Nature" en sont la parfaite illustration. Quelques relents Black sont encore là sur "Bless You To Die" et "The Seventh Symphony Of Satan", on pense instantanément à DIMMU BORGIR d’autant plus qu’une voix claire convaincante fait quelques apparitions. Les nombreux passages orchestraux viennent malheureusement briser la dynamique des morceaux, il y en a au moins un sur chaque morceau, mais là où c’est une réussite sur la chanson à tiroir "The Crown Of Winter" sur laquelle l’influence des cordes se fait le plus sentir puisque les guitares sont régulièrement reléguées au second plan, pour le reste malheureusement, ils n’aident pas à l’accroche de l’auditeur. Toutefois, ce n’est pas un album à mettre en fond sonore au risque de passer totalement à côté, non, il faut se plonger dans l’ambiance mélancolique dégagée par le Metal Doom Gothique de The Crown Of Winter. Ceux qui ont apprécié le premier album ne seront pas déçus, plus abouti et moins lisse que son aîné, le groupe maitrise mieux son style même si la patte KATATONIA est clairement identifiable. Espérons que le prochain album viendra plus vite car les groupes de Metal Gothique de bonne qualité se font rare, ravi de vous savoir en vie, cheers !

Chronique par Aymerick "Painless"

http://heavysound.fr/foreststreamthecrownofwinter.aspx
7.5/10

 

[Sonm]

From the delicate intro giving way to the soaring first few seconds of title track ‘The Crown of Winter’ I can tell that Russia’s Forest Stream have conjured something epic. Floating between clean passages and crushing Doom VS style heavy sections, the 11-minute opener tells you everything you need to know about this band. Bleak yet beautiful, they weave a captivating gothic doom that drags you down into the depths yet makes you appreciate the beauty of it all. Sonm the Darkest does a brilliant job on the vocals, with his ethereal clean vocals elevating passages beyond the musical power behind them to something more all encompassing.
The following track, ‘Mired’ has much more of a modern day Katatonia feel to it, and showcase Sonm’s guttural vocals to great effect. ‘Mired’ also has the Doom staple, the ever-present spoken word section, before giving way to the chaotic ending. ‘The Seventh Symphony of Satan’ blasts out a much more energetic symphonic Black Metal, showing that Forest Stream can turn there hand to more than just epic gloomy doom.

‘The Crown of Winter’ is the musical equivalent of a long harsh Russian winter, for fans of proper doom.

Candlelight Records

http://www.underground-industries.uk.com/reviews/album-reviews/237-forest-stream-the-crown-of-winter

 

[Sonm]

Wow! I was really surprised by this one!
http://www.metalfanatix.com/album/foreststream.html
96/100
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Hailing from Russia and performing some of the most beautiful melodies in the metal world, is Forest Stream. This is their second album, following up Tears of Mortal Solitude from 6 years ago in which had sparkling reviews. The Crown of Winter follows suit nicely. Still crafting a gentle, dreamy atmosphere while somehow surfacing several metal styles; both aggressive and not so much. This album sort of reminded me of a lot of my favorite artists both past and present. Hints of Opeth, Novembers Doom, Katatonia, Anathema, some of the most atmospheric Doom bands you can think of (like Shape of Despair or older Empyrium) and even Emperor in parts!! The Crown of Winter is an extremely dynamic, majestic, heavy, epic sounding release that will not soon be forgotten if examined. It is a lot to take in with every listen. There are 6 lengthy tracks with a very melancholic beginning and closing (so… 8 tracks total). The guitars create a wall of melancholy all in themselves, but the keys are the most compelling piece holding the entire mold together. Believe it or not, the percussion is quite an accessory as well (both bass and drums) – sort of uncommon with dark metal bands for some reason or another. The vocals shift quite harmoniously between clean gothic style, grunting death vocals and black metal shrieking. The production was mightily handled as well, so everything is easily heard. It all comes right back to how beautiful the atmosphere on the disc is, though. With all of these wonderful references, Forest Stream seemingly manages to fulfill a plethora of styles! This disc is not for the casual listener who will just skip through tracks looking for some sort of catchy rhythm or chorus; this is for the real music lover!! It's as majestic as the band and the album title portrays.
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Well, actually it's a featured review!! I haven't noticed that.
Forest Stream
The Crown Of Winter
(Candlelight)

"...epic sounding release that will not soon be forgotten..."