Review by Ben for In the Woods... - HEart of the Ages (1995)
Beautiful, awe-inspiring black metal album that's both distinctive and emotional.
When many people think of the Norwegian band In the Woods..., they think of the progressive entity that they would become. While I certainly don't discount the work that they’ve produced in their later years (I'm quite fond of it), the name In the Woods... will always bring to my mind this incredibly engaging, atmospheric black metal debut album. There are a couple of reasons why this is the case. Not least of all that the band's name is far more representative of this epic, mystical style of music rather than the avant-garde progressiveness of albums such as Omnio and Strange in Stereo. But most of all, I think of HEart of the Ages because it's one of the very best albums I own. It's a colossal, emotional rollercoaster of an album that expands upon the black metal framework with unbridled creative freedom, to build a sound entirely unique and hugely majestic.
It's a tough album to describe since it covers so much ground. The black metal elements come from tremolo picked riffs, a generally pagan feeling throughout, and the occasional usage of high-pitched shrieks. But there's an electronic element that adds a strange cosmic atmosphere, very much at odds with black metal and yet it works wonderfully here. Most vocals on the album are clean and seemingly folk inspired, being rather operatic yet never over indulgent. Many reviewers here appear to have an issue with how extreme the black metal screams are, but I think the mixture of clean and shrieked vocals is perfect for the vast landscapes created by the music. Most tracks on the album are rather lengthy affairs, with multiple instruments, sound effects and styles utilized, yet all remain distinctly memorable and cohesive. The two shorter tracks, Mourning the Death of Aase and the beautiful piano driven Pigeon, showcase just how talented the musicians involved are, once again surpassing the norms for a genre once known for its limited musical boundaries.
HEart of the Ages is most definitely an album you should experience in its entirety. Tracks such as Yearning the Seeds of a New Dimension and Wotan's Return are monstrous, shifting pieces all on their own, but the album is almost unsurpassed for its epic scale. By the time the sublime The Divinity of Wisdom (my personal favourite track on the album) is unleashed, you will be so far removed from everyday life, traversing a land of forests and snow while philosophising about our place in the universe. It's the type of album that, no matter what mood I am in or where my life is at, it will captivate me within moments and not let go until it all collapses in on itself, literally shattering into pieces as confirmation that it's time to depart. Thankfully this experience is always waiting for me, whenever I feel the need, or simply the desire. HEart of the Ages is truly a masterpiece and an essential experience for anyone that enjoys creative and grand black metal music.