Finsterforst – Rastlos 2012

The remnants of what used to be one of the largest forests in Europe still conceal its share of mysticism and magic. Many a creepy tale originated from the German Black Forest and from the very same Black Forest hails the pagan folk metal band aptly named Finsterforst [Dark Forest in English]. For their upbeat display of pagan mastery on their previous album, they have garnered much deserved attention across the folk scene. Yet they have been criticized for sounding like Moonsorrow. Some people you can never satisfy. Somewhere along the road, people have seemed to forget that folk metal has its deepest roots in Germany. Well before the Vikings revived the flame, a few occult bands were throwing caution to the wind by reinventing the tried-and-true music from medieval time. Finsterforst are the proud descendants of those bands and their third studio album Rastlos [Restless in English] is here to consolidate their status.

Gone is singer Marco Schomas replaced by Oliver Berlin, other than that the core of the band remains unchanged. The specialFinsterforst musical approach brings an eerie dimension to the opening track. Far from being festive, the oddly out-of-place accordion melodies seem to add a layer of mystery to the whole thing. Early on the epic-o-meter is reaching high levels without plagiarizing anyone. Extra room is being provided for chants and generally the band sounds like they are trying to emphasize the atmospheres even if it means taking down the guitars down a notch. Not unlike their previous efforts there is a lot going on during the first few listens and it takes a while to decode the brilliance of the album. Acoustic guitars sprout out of nowhere, bridges multiply with no end in sight and song structures are quasi-impossible to define, which gratifies the progressive aspect of yours truly. In typical folk metal fashion, most tracks are over ten minutes yet none seem to overstay its welcome. As for “Flammenrausch”, the amazing closing track, it keeps on giving all along its almost 23 minute-clocking time.

If Tolkien had been German, this could have been the soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings it’s so epically grand. While …Zum Tode Hin focused on power riffs and strong rhythms, Rastlos accentuates spellbinding atmospheres without losing the magic touch that brought Finsterforst into the fold of the pagan forefront. The promo kit touts “Ein majestätisches und episches Meisterwerk! A majestic and epic masterpiece!” I could not agree more. This is folk metal at its finest as far as I am concerned.

01. Nichts als Asche (13:20)
02. Fremd (12:21)
03. Am Scheideweg (1:28)
04. Stirbt zuletzt (10:20)
05. Ein Lichtschein (13:40)
06. Rast (2:00)
07. Flammenrausch (22:10)

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