Forest of shadows
Departure

This is an excellent doom CD. This is not a CD you can listen to in the car or for pastime. To truly appreciate it, you need to give it careful attention; only then can you fully understand what it has to offer.

Departure is the first LP by the band Forest Of Shadows, or by what remains of it; due to various lineup issues, the only one left is the founder Niclas Frohagen, who not only composes the songs and sings them but also plays all the instruments used in the songs.
The track that perhaps best expresses the spirit of the whole album is "Sleeping Death." It begins with the slow pace of the piano, which, with its rhythms and heavy sounds, seems to evoke the inevitable unfolding of destiny. Added to this is the deep and clean voice of Niclas, and the combination of these two elements conveys a feeling of gloom and precariousness that is swept away about halfway through the song, when the piano and clean voice are replaced by guitars and growl. This cry of rebellion then fades, until it returns to clean singing and the mournful and calm musicality of the guitars, a resigned lament that closes the piece.
But the other songs are also little gems, like "November Dream" with its arpeggios and melancholy, the disarming "Bleak Dormition": a beautiful instrumental track with captivating melodies. Then we move to "Open Wound," the catchiest of the whole album, and conclude with "Departure," a compelling piece in which the sudden change of speed at the end abruptly brings us back to reality.

Departure is a journey into the feelings of a man in his darkest moments. A great CD for Doom lovers!