Inspired by the dark and romantic German woods, comes the unity of melancholy rising in those lost, and the fantastic surroundings of The Forest. For fans of the unique and trance-inducing sound that creates an atmosphere of gloom, with romantic essence via delicate piano keys, this album is sure to bring mystery, intrigue, and memory.
Revealed on February 24th, 2022, the artist Nico-Letta behind OCINN unveils an atmospheric dark/black metal album rich with vivid imagery and imagination. It is the second album from the German-based, OCINN and is filled with 7 elusive tracks.
Starting on “Forest I”, you can sense the inspirations behind this enigmatic masterpiece. It’s low, and slow, dragging out misery and darkened emotions that build an atmosphere of shadow and shade. The piano offers glimmers of forgotten romance, while its lingering tune presses the anxiety slowly crawling up your spine.
“Forest II” builds lowly, with keys lighter, as if to tap like rain against the glass in gentle rhythm. Haunting melody keeps the darkness upon us while OCINN drags us through melancholic memory and regret.
Each track is beautifully composed with the essence of gothic horror shadowing romance and loss through carefully articulated keys and tones. The playthrough is delicate and fragile, much like human emotion but, plays on the plague of memory and ‘what could be’ to create haunting atmosphere and tension.
“Forest V” feels like straight gothic horror with piano keys painting velvet images of mask-clad strangers dancing on a forgotten ballroom floor that decays at the forest’s center. It’s eerie yet, romantic all the same with its beautiful composition evoking frightening and enticing imagery. From dancing ghosts on a decaying ballroom, to shadows moving behind the trees, it is a song that provokes the darkness the occupies the corner of your mind.
“Forest VI” has all the elements of a dance through a fairy glen that turns from a sun-filled afternoon to a darkened evening of dread. Carefully stroked keys set the stage for a wondrous adventure into a romantic meadow that turns frightening when the path is left behind, our lover is lost, and the sun begins to fall. Horror an anxiety set upon us, and we are left to linger in the cold darkness, waiting and wondering what may join us.
The final track simply titled “The Forest” is unsettling as it dwells on unearthly sounds and a single key that plagues us. Eerie vocals fall into this track, offering another ghostly element that infects like an intrusive thought. The lyrics, “phantoms are dancing, like elves in the branches,” is an image all too easily imagined as the lyrics are further able to create paintings of horror that we cannot escape. It’s strange, as it falls to comfort as we are embraced by the silence in The Forest.
This album is atmospheric black metal in perfect form. The lingering keys, and delicate movement of tones creates a beautiful world of melancholy and romance that pokes at memories, chosen paths, and forgotten lore. It is simple in its execution but, deep in its expression and composition that gives way to an album that is not only filled with character but, open to the void as well.
Rating: 9/10
Release Date: February 24th, 2022
Label: Guts’ N’ Blood Records
Track Listing:
1.) Forest I
2.) Forest II
3.) Forest III
4.) Forest IV
5.) Forest V
6.) Forest VI
7.) The Forest
Metal Goddesses 