Forlesen to Release Black Terrain Oct. 28
No doubt you’ve seen this album announcement by now, as I’m perfectly willing to admit the unveiling of cover art, details, etc. happened a couple weeks ago for Forlesen‘s second album, Black Terrain. The streaming track “Strega,” however, is newer. it would seem to be one of three inclusions on the follow-up to 2020’s legitimately-ballyhooed Hierophant Violent (review here), and it brings the band with members of Lotus Thief, Botanist and Kayo Dot further toward the outer charted limits of what constitutes progressive doom, black metal and so on, beginning with a note of glockenspiel before a sense of mounting horror noisy fade-in leads to a massive, doomed roll, lush melodies, volume trades, an arrangement as deep as you want to plunge, and later, throwing it all down to build up from minimalist maybe-guitar to a consuming and urgent but still slow finish.
If you heard the first record and dug it, you’re either already listening to the song at the bottom of this post or you already caught wind of it when it premiered elsewhere late last week, so either way, I hope you’re digging it. For anyone experiencing the band for the first time now, just open your mind and let yourself follow where the band lead and know that you won’t regret it.
Breathe in, and…:
FORLESEN – Black Terrain – Oct. 28
FORLESEN have offered up the first taste of their upcoming album with new their new single “Strega”. Taken from their upcoming album, Black Terrain, out on October 28th via I, Voidhanger Records, the band draws from dark ambient, epic doom, black metal and slowcore, subverting traditional songwriting.
FORLESEN formed in San Francisco at the end of 2016 and released their debut, Hierophant Violent, in 2020. Comprised of two side-length tracks, it soon found a cult following. Now based in Portland, OR, FORLESEN continues their compositional evolution with Black Terrain, expanding into previously untapped musical realms.
As with their debut, Black Terrain’s monolithic songs, at times approaching twenty minutes in length, fully immerse the listener in a contrast of the serene and cacophonous. “Strega” begins shrouded in eerie atmosphere before embarking on a journey from vulnerable ballad to hymnal dirge. The ferocity of “Harrowed Earth” thrusts the album into the realm of black and doom metal. In the aftermath, “Saturnine” brings the album full circle, culminating in an ethereal mantra.
Black Terrain evokes a sense of the grand, but also the intimate. Each instrument and voice is carefully placed and each musical transition seamless to prevent the mesmerizing spell from being broken. FORLESEN have crafted a stunning cinematic masterpiece.
FORLESEN is:
Ascalaphus (ex-BOTANIST) – Vocals, guitars, synth, harmonium, bass
Bezaelith (LOTUS THIEF) – Vocals, bass, guitars, synth
Petit Albert (LOTUS THIEF) – Guitars, synth, Hammond B3 organ, backing vocals
Maleus (ex-KAYO DOT, ex-MAUDLIN OF THE WELL) – Drums
Credits:
Glockenspiel and trumpet performed by Leila Abdul-Rauf.
Music and lyrics by Ascalaphus except lyrics on Black Terrain by Bezaelith.
All music arranged by Forlesen. Drums and Hammond B3 recorded by Justin Phelps at the Hallowed Halls, Portland, OR.
All other recording done in various home studios between 2018 and 2021.
Mixed by Jack Shirley at the Atomic Garden, Oakland, CA.
Mastered by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studios, Pittsburgh, PA.
Artwork by Benjamin A. Vierling
https://www.facebook.com/forlesen
https://www.instagram.com/forlesenmusic/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0hbsfntkd5jzcw2ytorlmy?si=5d69081c91cd47c6
https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records
https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/i-voidhanger-records
http://i-voidhanger.com/
