Old Forest – GRAVESIDE CD

OLD FOREST’s new album ‘Graveside’ is a re-affirmation of the band’s purpose and aims, and ‘Graveside’ differs from its predecessor in many ways. The UK trios’ 8th album since 1998 embraces a definite primitive and regressive approach to both its writing and recording ; it is a work of deliberate imperfection. From the first notes, it is obviously replete with references both musically and lyrically to those tried & tested themes of Black Metal and horror classics – but always with reverence, and never platitudinous.’Graveside’ is an indulgence in (and of) the most celebrated and earliest ‘naive’ works of such luminaries of the early 90’s scene as Emperor, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir, Gehenna and others. As such, ‘Graveside’ shows OLD FOREST’s willingness to regress back to their roots and once more adopt instinctive and spontaneous composition and recording, whilst casting aside such trivial matters as ‘innovation’ or ‘perfection’.Some will say that ‘Graveside’ is an intellectualisation of the moronic in Black Metal, but those who embrace its deliberate imperfections will hear a ferociously honest return to the youthful blasphemy of Black Metal and a rejection of the overtly commercial;”..he who lives the life shall know the doctrine..”