The first time I came into contact with In The Woods… was somewhere around 1993, when I got my hands on the Isle of Men demo through a tape trade. As soon as I popped the cassette into my deck and the first notes filled my room, I knew immediately: this was something special. The atmosphere, the raw emotion, and that elusive magic seeping through the recording—I was instantly sold. But what already made an impression back then would turn out to be just a taste of what was to come.
Two years later, in 1995, Heart of the Ages was released—an album that undeniably stands as one of the true icons of the genre. With its epic compositions, melancholic melodies, and dreamlike atmosphere, it elevated the band’s sound to an almost otherworldly level. It wasn’t just a record; it was a journey, an experience, a timeless piece of art that still resonates within the black metal community to this day.
A lot has changed since then. Of the original lineup, only drummer Anders Kobro remains, a loyal guardian keeping the flame alive. Vocals are now handled by Bernd Fjellestad, for whom this marks his second album with the band. His voice manages to honor the band’s spiritual roots while breathing new life into the sound—powerful, emotional, and steeped in that unmistakable Nordic melancholy.
I must admit that I somewhat lost track of the band after Heart of the Ages. It was such a powerful and timeless piece of work that, for me, it felt like it had said everything that needed to be said—an artistic peak that seemed hard to surpass. Over time, my attention was pulled in different directions, swept up by the endless stream of new bands and releases. I never really followed the later In The Woods… albums, apart from that one live LP that crossed my path at some point. That showed the magic wasn’t entirely gone, but still, I let it pass me by.
Of course, I knew In The Woods… wasn’t that 1995 black metal band anymore. Still, you can’t help but hope for a flicker of that old magic—a faint echo of something that once left such a deep mark. On this new album, there are still traces of that era to be found, although they’re subtle and sparse. What dominates now is a metal sound that flirts with progressive rock, and at times even leans into gothic rock territory. Think atmospheric passages, complex song structures, and a more introspective approach to the genre.
It seems the band has spent the past few decades searching—not necessarily in a negative sense, but more like artists unwilling to be confined. Whether they’ve finally found their true form with Otra remains to be seen. The material does show conviction, though; it’s clear the band has different things to express now than they did thirty years ago.
Still, there are moments that linger. The catchy “The Things You Shouldn’t Know”, with its calm, recurring intro, slowly works its way under your skin. And then there’s “Come Ye Sinners”, with its heavy riffs and dark intensity, proving the band hasn’t forgotten how to bring the weight. Both tracks invite repeated listens—not because they’re instantly catchy, but because they’re layered and reveal something new each time.
All in all, Otra isn’t a bad album—on the contrary, it’s well-crafted, atmospheric, and engaging. But as an old-school black metal fan who was once blown away by Heart of the Ages, I can’t help but feel that something is missing. That raw spirituality, the dark poetry, the looming mystery that once made the band so unique… now appear only as faint shadows. And yes, I get it: a band must evolve. You’re not young forever, and artistic growth is both inevitable and desirable. But sometimes, you just long to go back to that one night, that one moment in 1993, when everything was still wide open and the unknown beckoned from a humble cassette tape.
75/100
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