Woods Of Desolation are the brainchild of D., who hails from New South Wales, Australia, and who started this outfit in 2005. He was active in Grey Waters too, at that moment, but he was able to have some first recordings done with guest vocalists. About four years ago, the project signed to the Northern Silence-roster, and a first result of this collaboration was called Torn Beyond Reason, a majestic epic that I do still consider one of the highlights of 2011. The album, for your futile information, was officially released on February 25th, and the really ex-cel-lent review [smiley obligatory?] was posted on July 24th 2011 in the Northern Silence Productions special, available in the Archive-tab.
As The Stars for the better part continues where Torn Beyond Reason left of. Once again this is a melancholic and bleak form of little repetitive Black Metal with great leads and melodic structures, lots of changes in tempo (the speed varies from pretty fast to funereal slow), and a production that comes close to perfection. This has to do with the chilly sound, which gives the whole a freezing, as well as a hypnotic / suffocative atmosphere. Melody goes hand in hand with hammering structures, desperation with hatefulness, and melancholy with misanthropic visions (this phrase I stole from the review I did for the former album, but who cares???). And Woods Of Desolation add some specific extras, like a couple of bombastic pieces, acoustics intermezzos and additional keyboards, total decelerations, inspirations from so-called Shoegaze, or Suicidal Black / Funeral Doom-elements. And what’s more, I do not think I am joking if I say that this material will be highly appreciated by all those who have fallen in love with the upcoming Canadian scene lately (with the Quebec-scene more specifically).