Review IN THE WOODS ‘Diversum’

In The Woods hail from Kristiansand, Norway and the band started back in 1991 with a focus on black metal evolving into a band that has a wide portfolio of sounds in its repertoire. Even a longer hiatus at the beginning of this millennium had not stopped In The Woods, as the band returned in 2016 with the ‘Pure’ album. After releasing ‘Cause the Day’ in 2018, it is now ‘Diversum’ that will delight fans of the darker metal.

From the original line-up only Anders Kobro is remaining, who renewed the band in 2018. The undertaking bears fruit, because what the sextet offers on ‘Diversum’ is really worth listening to.

Listen, for example, the very successful ‘A Wonderful Crisis’, in which the band shows what they have up their sleeves. Great melodies, a good level of heaviness and powerful guitars, the combination of these elements is what makes the song a dark and yet dynamic anthem. The hooks immediately spark and already at the first listen you can fall in love with this song.

The following ‘Humanity’ is in no way inferior. A successful mixture of dark rock and metal, together with a few deep growls are what give the track a good flow. Calmer passages alternate with heavy metal outbursts, which even includes black metal-ishes screeching.

Dark and melancholic, that’s how the felicitous opener ‘The Coward’s Way’ can be described. The heaviness of the Nordic winter is captured very well with this song. And since In The Woods also deal with quite complex structures and turns, each song has enough substance to fascinate not only at a one-time exposure. A lasting enjoyment of listening is guaranteed here.

‘Diversum’ is diverse and yet is seamless at the same time. In The Woods also set musical diversity, and thematic depth, which spreads throughout the eight tracks. What reaches us here from the Norwegian forests fascinates and inspires.