Woods of Desolation – The Falling Tide
Release Date: 9th December 2022
Label: Season of Mist
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Blackgaze, Post-Rock.
FFO: Deafheaven, Kardashev, An Abstract Illusion, White Ward.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Woods of Desolation is a one-man band featuring a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist referred to only as D. He’s been doing his thing under the Woods of Desolation moniker since 2005, so if you’re into black metal, and more specifically, post-black metal, you probably already know of D and his band. Featuring atmospheric black metal that incorporates post-rock and shoegaze, The Falling Tide is D’s fourth full-length under the Woods of Desolation name and will see the light of day on December 9th.
I am more of a black metal tourist, so the first time I heard of Woods of Desolation was when I stumbled upon the single Far from Here. The song piqued my interest because it is more atmospheric and melodic than a lot of the black metal out there. It’s introspective and emotive, and it feels like something you could listen to when you are sad as well as when you are happy.
As I listened to the whole album, I could see again and again what sets The Falling Tide apart from its black metal contemporaries. Songs like Beneath a Sea of Stars and Anew perfectly blend black-gaze and post-rock in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of Deafheaven. Illumination is a melancholy track that leans a little harder into the rock side of things, especially in its drumbeat and its driving instrumental sections. While the next track, The Falling Tide, takes a more upbeat approach to the post-rock black-gaze thing. Finally, the penultimate track, The Passing, is an instrumental interlude without any black metal influence. Wedged in between the tumult of the first four songs and the fury of the final track, The Passing serves as a breath of fresh air for the listener.
The one thing I have a hard time with on this album is the vocals. Instead of employing the traditional black metal tortured shriek, D uses more of a strained gurgle in his delivery. It grows on you after a while, or more likely, it stops standing out quite as much, but while I applaud D’s attempt to find his unique black metal voice, I don’t see myself listening to The Falling Tide quite as much as I would if the vocals were different.
Overall, The Falling Tide is an enjoyable black metal album that has enough black metal for the purist but is experimental enough for the more casual black metal fan like me. And even though Woods of Desolation was likely an influence on bands like Kardashev, An Abstract Illusion, and White Ward, I can see their recent popularity opening up doors for a record like The Falling Tide that may have been closed before.
(3.5 / 5)
