lista zespołów Pagan Black Ancestors Blood When the Forest Calls

Pagan black metal has been one style that I have tended to avoid, along with NSBM not due to the ideologies but due to the style of music that is associated with this sub-genre within the black metal genre, unlike the usual high energy and extremely evil sounding style of the more "conventional" styles of black metal.

One look at the album title - When the Forest Calls - and one can immediately associate it with the pagan style of black metal (pardon my generalisation), and is proven right when he takes a listen to the album. When the Forest Calls is the follow up to Ancestors Blood's debut full length, 2008's Return of the Ancient Ones which managed to gather generally positive feedback.

The band sets the mood with the introductory track, an ambient track with somewhat soothing synths, placing the listener in the midst of a battlefield, letting him have a last breath of fresh air before the battle begins. When When the Forest Calls begins, one immediately notices the heavy presence of the keyboards, which emphasises the mood and atmosphere in the music. However, far from being just a background instrument, when listened to carefully, there are times when keyboardist E. Heinonen displays interesting melodic lines separate from the rest of the instruments, particularly on Metsäpirtti (Part 1). Vocalist Raud adds to the desolation of the music with his howling style of vocals, like a last cry of desperation.

It is also interesting to hear how none of the instruments are buried in the mix, with each instrument being clearly audible, unlike many bands which bury their bass so deep in the mix that they might as well make do without one. Other than the keyboards, the drums also managed to capture my attention, with drummer Pyromaniac providing the fast pace in what would have otherwise been a painfully slow album (by my standards, at least!), such as on the title track and Reborn Spirit in a New Flesh.

Like already mentioned before, unlike the aggressive and high energy style of conventional black metal, Ancestors Blood's music seems to focus more on the melody of the songs (on top of heavy presence of the keyboard in the music) and seems to be able to provide a certain sense of calm and beauty amidst the fast pace of the drums, almost reminding the listener of Fen's latest full length, Epoch, and their split with De Arma. The instrumental track Metsäpirtti (Part 1) surprisingly doesn't bore listeners, with the epic feel that the band has managed to provide through the smart choreography of the individual instruments, making the track a suitable and beautiful interlude among the higher energy tracks. The outro of the album puts a depressive mood once more in the listener, with an emotional keyboard line marking the end, before fading out to silence.

While I still remain reserved about bands tagged as pagan black metal, Ancestors Blood's When the Forest Calls has definitely altered my viewpoints slightly. Perhaps this could be a good starting point for one's foray into pagan black metal.