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In the Woods... > Omnio > Reviews
In the Woods... - Omnio

Eternity in an hour - 100%

robotniq, November 10th, 2020

The second In the Woods... album transcends progressive extreme metal. The band's journey to the summit was long and arduous. Three key members started in a fledgling death metal band called Green Carnation who released a demo ("Hallucinations of Despair") back in 1991. In the Woods... began where Green Carnation ended, adding some mid-era Bathory influences and morphing into a black metal band over a couple of demos. The band’s debut album, “HEart of the Ages”, followed in 1995 and blended the harsh black metal sound with softer prog-rock influences and crooning vocals. “Omnio” came along in 1997.

This album sees the band moving into uncharted waters. They freed themselves from the confines of any metal subgenre. The black metal guitar tone has gone. The sound is warm and clear, without much distortion. Anders Kobro is reborn as a drummer, abandoning the Quorthon-esque marching beats and developing the more technical style from the Green Carnation demo. Vocalist Jan Kenneth Transeth croons without inhibition, avoiding shrieks or rasps. It is almost like hearing a metal equivalent of Morrissey or Robert Smith. These vocals might be an acquired taste for black/death metal fans but they fit like hand in glove, and convey more power and passion than harsh vocals ever could.

The real revolution is the songwriting. Opener "299 796 km/s" is a restless, relentless, shape-shifting masterpiece. This fifteen minute epic might be the most audacious metal song ever written, comparable in scope with "Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Unlike Iron Maiden, there are no concessions to the standard verse/chorus structures of rock and traditional heavy metal. This song is a stream of interlacing ideas that never returns to an anchor point. It is extreme in its non-linearity, defying classification. I have no qualms about calling "299 796 km/s" an unheralded classic, one of the greatest metal songs of all time.

Transitions between the songs are faultless. "I Am Your Flesh" lunges from the dying moments of the opener. The band's attention to micro and macro levels means that every song stands alone, but works best as part of a longer journey. The album’s overall magnificence is built from riffs and patterns that withstand any level of scrutiny. The band were meticulous and decisive with every creative choice. The addition of a third guitarist, soprano singer and string quartet is barely noticeable at first, but powers through at key moments. Everything is crafted to perfection. Even a relatively simple ballad like "Kairos!" has transcendent qualities.

The final, crucial ingredient was the band’s decision to embrace the avant-garde. This leads to an album of bewildering variety, depth and unpredictability. These songs are full of apparent contradiction; intimate whilst being bombastic, fierce but gentle. In the Woods... made a mockery of these false dichotomies. This record is a world in itself, succeeding from every angle, at every scale. Never again has progressive metal embodied such intuition, elegance and potency. This is a singular moment in metal history, sixty-three minutes of perfection.

Brilliant! - 100%

Cravinov13, May 31st, 2007

In the Woods... is probably one of the least known bands of the doom metal genre. Mixing dark ambiance with progressive avant garde heavy metal, they have become a behemoth of a band that is deserving of some close recognition. They originally started out as the death metal band Green Carnation, at least until the bands lead member (main composer and guitarist Tchort) left to join the black metal Emperor. After Tchorts departure, the band members started a new project called In The Woods..., releasing their first demo in 1993. They released their first full length album, Heart Of Ages, in 1995. Their sophomore album, Omnio, became their instant classic. Omnio also marks the turning point of In The Woods... harsh black metal into a more soothing sound, adding keyboards, female vocals, and the occasional distortion and dean singing to add to the complexity of the band. The band finally came to an end when Tchort returned to Green Carnation in 1999, and released their last album, Three Times Seven On A Pilgrimage, which contained a bunch of cover songs by bands like Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, and King Crimson.

299,796 Km/s is the first track on the album. The 14:46 minute epic track begins with a soothing violin followed by a wall of doomy guitar riffs and steady pounds on the drums before kicking into a very steady riffage. By the 2 minute mark, the vocals kick in. The male vocals are very much like a lighter My Dying Bride and are backed by female vocals at random moments. Bass kicks in and the song gains some heavy atmosphere. At a little over 4 minutes, the song has a soft violin and ambient breakdown. The song then progresses into a melodic guitar riff and steady bass lines. The drums later kick in and the vocalist shows off more of his My Dying Bride-esque vocals. At 8 minutes the song regains its heaviness that leads into a very dominate atmospheric sound accompanied by a wicked guitar solo as the song slowly comes to a Halt. Ending track one and leaving the listener in awe.

The next track is probably one of the most famous tracks by In The Woods..., I Am your Flesh. The song begins with heavy riffage and (what I like to call) Dracula vocals. The song also contains some vicious growls that impress along with heavy blast beats and devastating guitar riffs. The song has several random bass and guitar breakdowns but keeps a very strong keyboard line throughout the track. The song finally fades off an a heavy note, accompanied by more wicked guitar work. [b]Kairos![b] follows, with very moody guitar plucks that bursts into heavy bass lines and a steady guitar riff after about 45 seconds. The song is the shortest track on the album, clocking only 3 and a half minutes. This doesnt mean the track fails to deliver a powerful punch, keeping its vicious riffage and drum line through out, it is the least progressive song on the album.

Weeping Willows is another epic track clocking at 11 minutes and 39 seconds. The track begins with a dark ambient intro followed by violins and more distorted ambiance before it kicks into the guitars, bass and vocals all at once. The track is another powerful one like 299,796 Km/s with similar dynamics, but a much more atmospheric sound. The track is also a lot slower and contains some great keyboard riffs. The song keeps a very similar and steady pace throughout, with occasional blast beats near the end and another haunting guitar solo. The next three tracks are all technically one monster track, Omnio?.

Omnio?: Pre begins with some beautiful aurora bell chimes and dark ambiance before it fades into low guitar strums and violins. Vocals and drums kick in a little after the 2 minute marker. The song then breaks into a powerful guitar and synth wall of sound at 3 and a half minutes. The song keeps the same pace, but is a lot more atmospheric, heavier, and more dynamic then before. The song has a melodic breakdown at around 7 and a half minutes before going back into more heavy guitar riffs. The song then keeps its normal pace until it finally fades and ends at 11 minute sand 59 seconds. Omnio?: Bardo is more of an instrumental, ambient track then an actual song. The song is full of dark ambiance and synthesizers before going into a powerful guitar solo and finally fading into the next and final track.

Omnio?: Post is the final track of the Omnio? trilogy. The song has a very mono piano melody and female vocals at the beginning of the song. The song then slowly progresses into more complicated keyboard riffs and even guitars in the background as the woman continues to express her haunting vocals. At about 2 minutes the song breaks into heavy guitar riffs and eventually leads into more vocal chanting and finally picks up to be much like the song Kairos!. The song then goes into a very soft, ambient moment while the male vocals dominate the atmosphere. The song picks up one more time on a very heavy note before finally fading off, ending one of the best albums of avant garde/ doom metals short history.

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR SPUTNIKMUSIC.COM