- Country: Germany
- Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal / Folk Metal / Symphonic Metal / Progressive Metal
- For fans of: Moonsorrow, Enslaved, Borknagar
FINSTERFORST – Still
Finsterforst from Germany have had, for about twenty years now, a sound that is hard to mistake. Long songs, Black Metal vocals, clean epic vocals, guitars that fill the space, choirs, keys and of course accordion. They are one of those bands that really make you feel they should be heard at the top of a mountain.
“Still” is their sixth full-length and shows a band that wants to try a few different things, without however leaving behind what made it known.
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More clean guitars and vocals
From the start there is a small change in the way Finsterforst build their songs. The clean guitars have a bigger role and usually sound full of reverb, while the keys appear more often.
On “Obduktion” there are electronic passages behind the guitars, while on “Herbstwanderung” the keys create a calmer and darker atmosphere.
An even bigger change is the clean vocals. Johannes Joseph has more room this time and the result is particularly good when the band lets the music breathe.
“Knie nieder” moves more in this direction, while “Im Wind” has quite long acoustic points that work like a small breath within the record.
Finsterforst remain Finsterforst
The problem is that, despite the changes, the band’s core sound hasn’t changed much.
And that isn’t necessarily bad.
Finsterforst have such a specific identity that they could hardly release a record that doesn’t sound like Finsterforst. The issue with “Still” is more about pacing.
The songs are shorter than what they have accustomed us to. Usually Finsterforst aren’t afraid to go past ten minutes, while here only two of the nine tracks exceed that length.
The strange thing is that the shorter songs often feel longer.
Why? Because the band keeps writing in that vast, epic way. So, while the album lasts about 64 minutes without the two covers, you get the sense that it is even longer.
“Fels” is something different
“Fels” is perhaps the record’s biggest surprise.
It is a purely acoustic track and essentially works as a ballad, something we aren’t used to from Finsterforst.
Here Joseph has all the room he needs and his voice truly stands out. Toward the end the rest of the members come in with polyphonic vocals and the result is one of the most beautiful moments of the album.
“Stille Nacht” also has quite a few acoustic points and lets the music move more calmly, before the band returns to its familiar epic style.
And when Finsterforst do what they know best, they really rarely disappoint.
“Leere”, which reaches 24 minutes, is a characteristic example. Here the band is set free to build a long track with changes, guitars that rise and fall, orchestral passages and plenty of atmosphere.
It is exactly in such moments that you understand why the long duration suits Finsterforst so well.
The two covers
Toward the end come two tracks that are not officially bonus tracks, but that’s how they sound.
The first is “Beyond the North Waves” by Immortal. Finsterforst don’t tinker with it much and stay quite close to the original Black Metal style.
More interesting is “Another Brick in the Wall Part II” by Pink Floyd.
Here the band takes a song quite far from its own sound and turns it into a heavy, epic track. The Black Forest choir comes in on the second verse and gives even greater volume, while Simon Käflein takes on a solo that fits perfectly with his own guitar aesthetic.
And ultimately this cover works much better than one would expect.
“Still” is not a record that changes Finsterforst. The new ideas with the clean guitars, more keys and clean vocals are welcome, but they don’t transform their sound.
There are points that work excellently and others where the band seems to be searching a little for the right direction. Nevertheless, when the guitars open up, the choirs take their place and Joseph raises his voice, Finsterforst remind you why they have earned such a distinctive place in Folk Metal.
“Im Wind”, “Stille Nacht” and “Fels” give a different side, while the huge “Leere” is where the band returns fully to its waters.
“Still” may not be their boldest work, but it has plenty of moments that are worth it. And from a band that has built such a specific sound, consistency is no bad thing at all.
Tracklist
- Obduktion – 08:12
- Herbstwanderung – 05:57
- Knie nieder – 04:05
- Im Wind – 10:28
- Stille Nacht – 06:19
- Fels – 04:24
- Leere – 24:11
- Beyond the North Waves – 07:57
- Another Brick in the Wall Pt. II – 06:20
