TRACK LISTING

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1.  Hourglass
2.  Lightyears On
3.  The Green Knight
4.  Seize the Day
5.  The Tor
6.  Through a Glass Darkly
7.  The Stars My Destination
8.  Under the Greenwood Tree
9.  Black Delta
10.  Deadly Premonition

Total playing time:  52:28

Release Date: October 10, 2011
Label: Cruz del Sur Music

Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity

Reviewer: Chris

November 3, 2011

From the English countryside comes Dark Forest, whose name inspires thoughts of blackish meanderings through mires and haunted tree-laden pathways. What you really get is a traditional metal sound that does a good job of entertaining you with Dawn of Infinity, the sophomore effort of this Dudley unit.

The basic heavy metal style of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest is making a small, yet undeniable ruckus in the underground as more bands vie for this style to showcase their respective influences. “Hourglass” starts off and balances on the thin line of middle-road heavy metal and power metal ever so slightly, evolving nicely as the song progresses without benefit of deception or hurried banality. The vocals are of a lower caliber in tone, so anticipating a Dickinson or Halford-like vocal might disappoint some of the milieu bent on these overused styles, though vocalist Will Lowry-Scott can hit the occasional high note with relative ease and careful attention to placement. His style is not overly phenomenal in its naked form, but after hearing a couple of songs you accept it as a very important piece to a fine puzzle.

While not completely giving over to the power metal sound, fans of the genre will find worthy tracks like “The Green Knight” that tell the story as well as they deliver the musical goods with all of the reverence afforded to such a special form of metal music. There’s something to be said for the bare foundation and simplicity of power chords and actual vocalization, not to mention the ever-elusive guitar solo worth measuring and inspecting. There’s some very good riffs smattered through this effort, particularly in “The Tor” and “Through a Glass Darkly”, which calls upon the fundamental elements of the NWOBHM without outright infringement or plasticity. The modern sound is exactly the intended goal and it works just fine without bells and whistles ruining an otherwise fun experience.

What appeals to me and might interest other fans as well is the lack of derivative reassembly of tired old guitar riffs and boring repetitive waste filling up a CD and passing it off as conducive, honest music. There will be nothing new or mind-blowing impressive about Dark Forest’s sound and technique, but it is a very good album well worth investigating to the somewhat shallow depths you’ll find within its talented circle. 

While you’re not going to find serendipity here with Dawn of Infinity you certainly should be sedated in all of the right ways with all of the proper tones, rendering this as one of your more enjoyable engagements. If you go in seeking a good old-fashioned sound carried into the current day on the wings of very capable musicians, then Dark Forest will fit your bill quite nicely.