Woods Of Desolation - Torn Beyond Reason review
| Band: | Woods Of Desolation |
| Album: | Torn Beyond Reason |
| Style: | Atmospheric black metal |
| Release date: | February 2011 |
01. Torn Beyond Reason
02. Darker Days
03. An Unbroken Moment
04. The Inevitable End
05. November
06. Somehow...
The depressive duo of Tim "Sorrow" Yatras and the man known only as "D" are back with yet another chilling display of a statuesque journey through melancholia, venturing only so far from the true path of solitude with Woods Of Desolation in order to entice the audience enough to gain a mutual understanding of nature's purest form of torment.
Woods of desolation. A barren wasteland. Emptiness. A deserted territory. These images are captured perfectly not only by the spellbinding cover art, but by the mournful atmosphere that nicks a vein and leaves you with a band-aid and a cup of cold water to stop the bleeding. It tears at your cheek with a mighty force, ripping you from the comfort of your abyss, scrutinizes you, evaluates your worth, inspects you for flaws, scoffs at your lack of purpose, considers removing you from your shelter permanently...only to toss you back in again.
It's a catch-and-release expression of pity and joy, a game of cat and mouse interrupted by one of Tolkien's ring-wraiths shrieking before the stupefied animals, as diluted drums blast away in the undertow. Acoustic guitars make their presence felt when necessary, calming the chaos and giving reason to the anarchy, while the profound (and unfortunately all too rare) cello use sends ripples through your wrists as the tide begins to rise.
The austerity of such a release has been watered down slightly, perhaps due to the outside influence of a certain stone-colored water involving our beloved duo - nevertheless, the trees are imposing as ever, and there's nobody else around to hear them fall.
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/woodsofdesolation
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 10 |
 | Written on 19.06.2011 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. |
Comments page 2 / 3
Comments: 68
Visited by: 555 users
| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Pretty cool stuff, though I sure as hell don't think it deserves this much praise and a 9.5.
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702  |
Written by Slayer666 on 20.06.2011 at 11:49 It's a great album, but indeed why 9.5? That's nearly perfection. I would say maybe an 8. Good effort, though.
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| Thryce Retired Staff elite Posts: 4346  |
Oh wow, I think I TOTALLY feel this
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 20.06.2011 at 12:49 Ratings are but a reflection of personal taste. Because I identified with this album on a more..."philosophical" level, it spoke to me more than a lot of other releases; hence the high rating.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Guest on 20.06.2011 at 07:03 Written by Thryce on 20.06.2011 at 13:15 Don't worry guys, I'll publish more cookie-cutter diatribes in the near future, I assure you.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 20.06.2011 at 14:01 Fair enough...  Can I now intervene in this debate about your "wanky"  reviews of late? I actually don't mind them at all, although when you descend to a more personal level, you will always find people who are going to dislike them. Troy, stick to your guns! 
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Merchant of Doom on 20.06.2011 at 14:18 Thanks for the input...they seem to be getting mixed reviews (irony), but they're fun to write and some people seem to enjoy them more than my regular style of reviews. As I've said before, I have another one upcoming in a similar style...that might be the deciding factor in whether or not I keep going with them. After all, a bit of controversy is good for the forums, no? 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 20.06.2011 at 14:33 Absolutely. But can I say one thing: you shouldn't change your style only because people dislike it. At the end of the day, you need to enjoy what you are doing, otherwise it's pointless and - yes - it becomes even more of a 'job'. And you'd stop doing them eventually.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274  |
Written by Guest on 20.06.2011 at 07:03 I think this album is way more than what you are describing but whatever... Tastes differ. Atmosphere ain't something objective anyway.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 21.06.2011 at 00:09 Quite right.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| ravendeath Posts: 240  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 21.06.2011 at 00:42 +1
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| Thryce Retired Staff elite Posts: 4346 |
Written by Guest on 21.06.2011 at 00:05 Sounds pretty gay. I rather stick to running around naked in the forest.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| hadriel Posts: 257  |
Another sick band and an even better review for it. Can't decide if I like this review or Roads to Judah better, they're both great. Well done and thank you for finding me another one of my fav albums of the year.
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| Monolithic ♠♠♠ Posts: 668  |
Where greater bands have problem repeating their success and popularity, lesser known bands make me feel hopeful about the future of the metal scene around the world. While I was expecting the band to be from Scandinavia (I really thought the band was from Scandinavia, due to its reputation as being the birthplace of many Extreme Metal musicians) I was shocked that my thesis was proven to be wrong and they're from Australia.The only downside to this album is, you have to be in a particular mood to achieve maximum joy and pleasure, after all IT IS ATMOSPHERIC
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466 |
Written by Thryce on 21.06.2011 at 07:32 Or just stick to your Deathcore. You're obviously not tr00 enough to understand this.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by hadriel on 22.06.2011 at 07:52 Thanks, and you're welcome. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Mikyz Posts: 711  |
So which do you think is better Austere's To Lay Like Old Ashes or this one? Because imo this album, as inspiring as it is, has its flaws, not flagrant mind you but after a series of listens I noticed how the production gets in the way of some moments that could have been monolithic were they not swallowed in by an overly conscious atmosphere and some extra fuzziness like in Somehow... because the melodies are way too bewitching and melancholic to be fuzzed out randomly. I'd give Austere the advantage, not an absolute advantage but a comparative one. So it's a great album, and the review does it more than justice, can't blame you for the fanboyism god knows I'm all to familiar with the concept.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
I REALLY love the production tbh.... Love the fuzzy sound.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Mikyz Posts: 711 |
Written by X-Ray Rod on 23.06.2011 at 10:02 It's subjective really, if you give atmosphere the edge over clearer musicianship the production should suit you just fine. But I honestly think that a production with less "fuzziness" would push the emotional interpretation of the album beyond its current barrier, which is as thick as paper so it really isn't a deal breaker or anything, just something that could enhance the experience. XD
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Mikyz on 23.06.2011 at 05:10 Austere > WoD, by a microscopic hair.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Fat & Sassy! elite Posts: 3857  |
Written by Thryce on 20.06.2011 at 13:15 Post of the year so far for me.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Guest on 24.06.2011 at 23:30 Ya, my first reaction upon hearing this album was "Alcest. These guys must really dig Écailles de lune." Which is fine by me; I fuckin' love that album. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Troy Killjoy on 24.06.2011 at 23:34 Well you can't have too much of a good thing ;]
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino staff Posts: 18274 |
Written by Guest on 24.06.2011 at 23:30 Yeah... There are tons of EdL influence on this album. It's weird though as the atmosphere is completely different for me. The production is different as well. But holy shit this is good.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Fallen_Empire Posts: 3 |
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| Frost Beast Account deleted |
Frost Beast
Account deleted Written by Troy Killjoy on 19.06.2011 at 14:20 Yeah, he's right. Well done, you wrote a great review for a beast of an album.
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