Abhorrent Forest - "To See Eternity" EP Review!!

With news quiet this week, let's break the silence with our 107th monthly CD review on the SMS, namely our review of local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest's third EP "To See Eternity"! Released to their Bandcamp page on March 11th, this release is a return to their primary genre after the ambient-focused "Ethereal" in September, and is described on Bandcamp as "an EP made in the late winter nights". Once again, Abhorrent Forest is represented on this self-produced and independently released album by Will "Old Man Wyrn" Tholberg (or just "Wyrn") on all instruments, and the project remains an instrumental effort. As was the case with "Ethereal", "To See Eternity" is available for $10 at the above links, and while you can stream it free there as well, consider buying it to support Old Man Wyrn's work! Featuring 4 songs running for about 22 minutes total, let's begin this month's CD review with it's opening and shortest track, "Plague"!

Starting with brutal and devastating instrumentation that completely reverses course from "Ethereal", this song has a very ominous guitar riff that almost sounds like a villain's theme music in an epic video game. The drums aren't as varied as they could be, but I love the guitar work and the bass is a very solid match to it. This is a song that's begging for better production values and perhaps vocals, but as it stands, it's definitely a highlight of this EP! This song sounds like it ends abruptly, but it appears to flow right into the second track "Asunder", which moves from the grandiose dramatic feel to more of a traditional black metal vibe with rapid fire drumming and drone-like guitar work, while still maintaining a steady aggression. The song changes pace to a slower, more deliberate rhythm late, and this will definitely please black metal loyalists more than "Plague". Myself, I find the instrument mix is muddier here, and while this is well in range, I do prefer the opener overall.

"Season of Death" comes third, and I'd be lying if I didn't say this gave me a "Black Sabbath" vibe (as in, the band's self-titled song.) The cadence of the guitars, the ominous thunder sound effects, the deliberate pacing, it's all there for the first half. The song varies in the second half with a faster groove, and starts to diversify itself to good effect, with solid bass and drumming all around, though the latter use of the thunder effects feel thrown in, and the abrupt ending doesn't do much for it. The first half feels too derivative, but the second half helps bring it home! The EP's title track "To See Eternity" closes things, and at a whopping 9:07 runtime to boot! This lengthy track starts with more black metal intensity a'la "Asunder", but it sounds cleaner and heavier all at once, if that makes sense. The marching eerie sound is a bonus, and Wyrn's straightforward heavy guitar riffs are always a plus! At the same time, similar instrumental sections are extended to lengths that get very repetitive, without much structural variance.

This especially strikes me as a song that could have been severely chopped down without losing anything substantial, which doesn't take anything away from Wyrn's solid performances and the brutality on display! I just find that the song would work better if it was shorter and less repetitive, but fans of Abhorrent Forest's black metal material will definitely enjoy the closer!

So, how do I sum up Abhorrent Forest's third EP? Well, it's definitely a return to form for black metal fans, and pound for pound, their strongest overall release to date! I especially loved "Plague", which showcases Old Man Wyrn's musical diversity very well with a grand, ominous sound that shows a lot of potential beyond just black metal and ambient compositions! In more traditional black metal territory, the rest of the album delivers the good with strong guitar work and assaulting riffs and drum tracks, and I liked that the cymbals were toned down from "The End of Life" too. That all said, the title track dragged on too long without any major changes in tempo or structure, "Season of Death" is almost too Black Sabbathy in it's first half, and I am still curious to hear how this material would sound with vocals. Abhorrent Forest are on an upward trajectory for sure, and I'm very curious to hear what Wyrn has in store next, so buy or stream "To See Eternity" at the above links!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month, barring a sudden huge album release, I am planning to keep with new CD reviews via looking at defunct local alt-hard rock trio The Din's posthumous live album "Suburban Sendoff", which was released in February but held until this point due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer (having just reviewed their last studio album in December.) Look for that at some point next month, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Who Made Who), A New EP Release, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday morning delectation, so what's on the docket today? A band moved to our inactive links, a new concert video, and a new album release, but we'll lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who will return to Sault Ste. Marie for another headlining concert on Friday, April 6th at The Rockstar Bar! Though not yet advertised online that I have found, this poster at the venue proper confirms the show, which takes place the same day as Shit Liver's release tour stop downstairs at The Algonquin Pub, so keep that in mind as well for the 6th. Fans will recall seeing Who Made Who's faithful sounding and looking tribute to AC/DC at The Rockstar Bar last April, and numerous times prior in the early 2010s, so their brand of high voltage rock & roll has definitely found an audience in the Soo, and here's hoping their return next month provides more of the same! This 19+ concert will likely have a 9:00 PM start time, and while admission fees have not yet been announced publically, note that last year's Who Made Who show had $10 tickets that you could buy at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk. Both floors of The Algonquin will be rocking on the 6th, so see above for more details on this concert!

Next up, we have a surprise new album release to note on here, as local instrumental black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest have posted their third EP online, in their first public act since releasing their second ("Ethereal") last fall! Entitled "To See Eternity", this was posted to the project's Bandcamp page yesterday, and marks a return to Old Man Wyrn's black metal roots after "Ethereal" dove head first into ambient compositions. This EP is currently on sale on Bandcamp for $10, but you can stream all four tracks for free there as well. It's great to see Abhorrent Forest active and recording, even if we only seem to hear from them when they release a new album on us! That said, when can you expect a review of "To See Eternity" on the SMS? Not this month, as this is the last month of our 6 month anti-bias buffer since reviewing "Ethereal", and with Shit Liver's new album pencilled in for next month, I'm targeting May for it. Assuming nothing screwy happens, look for it then, and stream all of Abhorrent Forest's studio material above!

Also today, here's the first of the public videos that have turned up from Saturday night's Archelon concert at The Rockstar Bar, as drummer Keith Zwicker posted this video of the Sudbury groove metal quintet playing their song "Cut & Run" to his personal YouTube channel yesterday! Ostensibly filmed by someone on Archelon's crew, this video has a great close angle from the far corner of the stage, and while the audio's a little muffled, their brutal aggression is captured well enough! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Archelon and the other bands in an upcoming post!

Finally, we have an addition to note to our inactive band links, that being local death metal duo Brutally Fatal. While there have been no firm announcements regarding their status, they haven't posted a new public update since releasing their free "Blood of the Devil" "album" last February, though for what it's worth, label Blood Shed Productions have been very quiet in the past year as well. Active off and on since 2012, Brutally Fatal was an early flagship band for the Blood Shed label from co-founder Austin McCrae, who put out a few album-formatted releases of an often provocative nature, while also performing at scattered concerts in the mid-2010s as both a solo act and later alongside C.T.W.'s Tyler Gibson on drums. These notably included the final Swampstravaganza in 2015, and a number of Blood Shed-affiliated Oddfellows and house party events. Note that this is not the same band as The Revolution, which Austin launched in 2014 as a second version of Brutally Fatal during the original's brief punk turn as Re-Born (no relation.)

Whether you spelled "Brutaly" with one L or two, Brutally Fatal were a fittingly brutal band at their height, and while the minimalistic extreme sound wasn't for everyone, they did showcase growth and originality during their run! I don't know if Brutally Fatal are lying dormant while Blood Shed continues their quiet period or if they're effectively done, but hopefully we hear more from Austin and Tyler musically soon in this or other projects! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!