If you read my review of Smoulder's latest release, then you're already aware of how much I love epic tales full of war and adventure. British true metallers Dark Forest hit that same vein of storytelling perfectly with their upcoming record Oak, Ash & Thorn which will be dropping on the 24th of April, 2020. While Dark Forest haven't released any full albums since Beyond The Veil in 2016, they haven't lost their stride at all. Oak, Ash & Thorn was recorded at Hellfire Studios where the band honed their craft and did a deep dive into the 1906 epic fantasy of Rudyard Kipling, Puck of Pook's Hill. An excerpt, "Then he made a sword—a dark-grey, wavy-lined sword—and I blew the fire while he hammered. By Oak, Ash and Thorn, I tell you, Weland was a Smith of the Gods!"
Puck of Pook's hill is chock full of English history as well as fantasy, and it's the perfect source for Dark Forest to truly shine bright. The title of the album comes from the three sacred trees of England - the Oak, Ash and Thorn trees - which are also referenced within the book.
The music itself is heavy metal at it's core, with beautiful guitar melodies and flourishes, supported by the driving of the drums and bass lines. Josh Winnard brings the story to life with his strong and sometimes commanding deliverance of the vocals. I was sitting on my chair listening to the entirity of the record, and when the title track for Oak, Ash & Thorn came on I was set into almost a trance like state when Winnard was delivering his lines void of any instrumentation. It reminded myself of the time I visited the cathedral in Newcastle, Northern Ireland and the acoustics it held inside.
What I'm trying to say is that this is an attention grabbing, fist pumping, sing your heart out record that will have others at the traffic light staring at you as you blast it out of your vehicle's windows. My AOTY for heavy metal will be a tough choice for 2020 as there's already been a couple really solid releases, Dark Forest coming out with Oak, Ash & Thorn next month, and it's still only March! If you'd like to pre-order, links will be below. Hail metal!
I'm giving Oak, Ash & Thorn an 8.5/10
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