Wuthering Heights
Far From The Madding Crowd

Strange juxtaposition, the name of this group, Wuthering Heights from the novel by Emily Brontë, and the name of the album, “Far From The Madding Crowd” from the novel by Thomas Hardy.

In 2004, the third work of this Danish band, “Far From The Madding Crowd” was released, which is also the third and final chapter of a trilogy started in 1999 with “Within” and continued with “To Travel For Evermore” in 2002.

The theme covered in the entire concept is the journey, understood as a journey of formation of the protagonist, who answers to the name of Eric Ravn, guitarist and leader of this band, who has incorporated many of his personal experiences into the story. However, it cannot be properly called an autobiographical work since it also contains compositions that have nothing to do with Ravn's past.
The common denominator of these three chapters is the compositional flair of Wuthering Heights, who combine and juxtapose different musical genres and styles: from folk (a constant component throughout the album) to progressive metal, from power to neoclassical shades up to developing into Celtic atmospheres highlighted by the use of bagpipes, winds, and strings.

On vocals, we find a nice novelty: Nils Johansson, in my opinion more versatile than the previous vocalist, characterized by a deeper tone and the ability to alternate aggressive moments with sweeter ones. The most representative piece of this album is undoubtedly “Longing For The Woods”, a suite composed of three non-consecutive parts, which thus trace the guiding thread of the entire story with melodies that chase and reprise in several moments. In the first part, we find more melodic and catchy folk atmospheres, the second is predominantly power, with fast and powerful riffs and solos, while the last part is decidedly progressive, more technical, and characterized by irregular tempos. To emphasize the different moments of this suite are also the stylistic variations of the vocalist, who adapts masterfully to the various atmospheres offered.
The lyrics and titles of some tracks refer to Tolkien's masterpiece “The Lord of the Rings” like “Bad Hobbits Die Hard”, an instrumental piece rich in neoclassical ideas, or “Lament For Lorien”, a sad and melancholic ballad.

In my opinion, this album is, albeit slightly, inferior to the previous “To Travel For Evermore”: it indeed lacks that compositional verve and the desire for experimentation that was felt throughout the previous work; it nonetheless remains an excellent album which I highly recommend to those who love technique combined with sentiment.