I can’t believe that this is the first time I have stumbled upon A Forest Of Stars, an avant-garde black metal band from Leeds. I say “band”, they actually present themselves as a “Gentlemen’s Club” from the Victorian Era. Their flash-heavy website is a treasure trove of antiquity, their new 10 minute video is entirely animated, and the members names are as follows; Mister Curse (vocals), Katheryne, Queen Of The Ghosts (flute, violin, vocals), The Gentleman (keyboards and percussion), Mr. T.S. Kettleburner (guitars), The Resurrectionist (drums), Mr. Titus Lungbutter (bass) and Mr. William Wight-Barrow (guitars). Now, this would all seem highly pretentious if it wasn’t for their immense musical capability, and the fact that this group of English gentlemen (and lady) have issued 3 albums prior to this one, it would seem that I have missed out on quite a bit.
From the staggering opening track ‘Drawing Down The Rain’, to the lush female vocals and mournful violin of ‘Let There Be No Light’, ‘Beware The Sword You Cannot See’ is a mind-swirl of ideas and orchestration. It’s a complex and progressive album that yields more rewards the more you listen, and to pick apart and analyse such a work after only a handful of hearings, would do it an injustice. Suffice to say, that there is something here for everyone, as long as you are musically adventurous. A folk adventure swathed in blastbeats. Mister Curse’s vocals switch from rasp and shriek, to anguished cry, to spoken narration
at the drop of a (top) hat, and on ‘Hive Mindless’ he sounds positively possessed. Under-pinned by keyboards, the violins and flutes are used to great effect throughout the album, there is even a reggae bass line on ‘Proboscis Master…’ but considering the grand scheme of things, this does not sound out of place. There is also a story-line at work here that has yet to fully reveal itself, so at the moment I am not at liberty to divulge.
‘Beware The Sword You Cannot See’ is a stunning album that points towards black metal’s more expansive side, the production is crisp and the playing is top-notch. In some ways it is reminiscent of Akercocke’s masterful ‘Choronzon’. An album so full of ideas that the first listen can prove bewildering, until the tracks settle down to reveal their glorious intentions. The bands image is also intriguing, A Forest Of Stars have created an entire aesthetic that goes hand-in-hand with their musical output. Very British, slightly pompous, and quite majestic.
(9/10 Stuart Carroll)
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