A Forest Of Stars
Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring

PILLS OF BLACK DEVELOPMENT  (episode II)

After years of strict stagnation and rigorous adherence to its roots, Black metal has finally begun to renew itself, not only musically, but visually, aesthetically, and lyrically. In the past five years, people like Deathspell Omega and Wolves in The Throne Room (just to mention two of the most brilliant ones) have shaped new ideas and wonders, trying to break down the cultural barriers of a genre and open it up to the appreciation of a much wider range of misfits than the four (satanist) friends at the bar.

An evolution, at times, unstoppable.

Take the British band A Forest Of Stars. Formed by seven musicians who dress as if they have stepped straight out of ancient Victorian-era portraits, with names such as "Mister Curse", "The Gentleman", and "The Resurrectionist", they have drawn the attention of fans and critics with their promising debut "The Corpse of Rebirth", a swirling mix of eerie Folk atmospheres and bizarre theatrical elements that are based on a solid pitch-black pedestal. "Opportunistic Thieves of Spring", their second effort, indeed follows the footsteps of its predecessor, but surpasses it at triple speed for its unpredictability, charm, and instinct. Many points in its favor: a flawless, modern, incisive yet delicate production; sounds sharp and languid at the same time; compositions (six) refined but not introspective, catchy in the right way; a unique, personal style, made of gentle symphonic moments, others psychedelic, but also of violent stabs (and when they want to hit hard, they do it with an unheard-of ferocity, with an impetus that leaves one breathless, dwarfing many bands that, on paper, are nastier than them).

A dark force, an emotional instability that can be translated with a simple word: elegance. Listening to them is like sitting in the middle of the forest, closing your eyes, and letting the wind whisper what it has heard from the stars.

Much of the credit goes to the decadent violin notes (played by a certain Katie Stone of My Dying Bride), the delicate solfège of the flutes (in "Raven's eye view" splendidly in the foreground) and the presence of keyboards that from time to time support and accompany the raw sound of the guitars and the lacerating vocal lines (in certain passages reminiscent of some Depressive groups); guitars, now static now protagonists of sudden accelerations, manage to stand out on always obsessive scenarios, a sort of immutable ancestral chaos that nonetheless hides within a thin veil of unexpected harmony. In tracks like "Starfire's Memory" or "Delay's Progression" there is never an idea of what one might find ahead: funereal mid-tempos, almost Ambient moments, sudden and tearing explosions. And what about "Summertide's Approach", a thirteen and a half minute trip in which the band enjoys painting melancholy and apocalyptic landscapes with great mastery. 

"Opportunistic Thieves of Spring" is one of those works that touches inside, where the mind evokes sad and desolate images while listening to it; the Black here is a starting point and at the same time an endpoint because it is part of a cocktail in which references of deep, intimate, and magnificent music blend, live, and regenerate. Intuitions that project the genre towards shores as unknown as they are captivating.

They have already stolen spring. Give them a chance, and they'll steal summer from you too.