In The Woods - Omnio |
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avestin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 18 2005 Status: Offline Points: 12625 |
Topic: In The Woods - Omnio Posted: November 03 2007 at 13:00 |
IN THE WOODS... - Omnio
I remember during my army service when this album came out (has it been 10 years already?) it was for me one of the two only reasons to get excited about during that dark time (the other reason being my girlfriend, now my wife). Having absolutely loved their first album HEart of the Ages, I was eager to listen to this one.
The music fit perfectly how I was feeling at that time. Dark, ponderous, gloomy, atmospheric, spacey, rich and emotional and not without the needed aggression, though that is not the main and dominant ingredient.
This album, and especially the two tracks 299 796 km/s & Weeping Willow defined a period of my life, a particular sound and feelings. It is to this day one of my favourite albums; one that I go back to with eagerness, but one I will hear in certain states of mind and at certain times and places.
Here is what PA members think of the album:
IN THE WOODS... "Omnio" reviews(ratings with reviews of more than 200 characters)Collaborators ReviewsIN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by Trickster F. (Ivan Sturov)PROG REVIEWER Omnio - Everything you will ever wish to find under the label of Progressive Metal Posted Tuesday, July 11, 2006, 09:51 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by hdfisch (Dieter Fischer)PROG REVIEWER I think there shouldn’t be any question (at least in prog metal circles) about the fact that IN THE WOODS... was an exceptional band leaving behind a legacy which will stay unforgettable for many underground artists. This Norwegian band combined that many influences and styles in their compositions to be really called eclectic in the true sense and they merely defied any categorization. Whether it’s Pagan Folk, Ambient, Classical, Psychedelic, 70’s Prog and of course Nordic Black Metal, it’s all there in their music. Their debut was already quite sensational and uncommon in the Black (Pagan) Metal scene, still considerably more rough and wild but with their second full-length album “Omnio” they released their definite masterpiece. The genre-typical screaming, riffing and drumming style vanished here completely and instead we get here five perfectly done haunting compositions filled with a mesmerizing atmosphere at times sounding like being not of this world but not without having the right portion of heaviness at the same time. The five tracks on here, three of them exceeding the 10-min mark can offer everything any fan of sombre and melancholic prog metal is looking for. They’re accessible without being catchy, reveal an enriched sound using acoustic instruments like violin, viola, cello and piano without showing any sign of bombast and own a high variability and emotionality using intense, expressive, clear and well comprehensible vocals (both male and female). Growls are being used very sparsely and only in appropriate moments to emphasize a certain mood. As well the (very pleasant, strong and highly skilled) female vocals aren’t omnipresent at all but have been used only when needed. Thus for those people being scared of getting something like Theatre Of Tragedy or any “beauty-and-the-beast”-type of Gothic Metal band I can clearly say, there isn’t any similarity to such bands to be found on here. BTW the female singer on this disk (Synne "Soprana" Larsen) is the same one to be heard on GREEN CARNATION’s first two releases. Not to forget mentioning the beautiful, highly poetic lyrics of this work which are certainly worth taking a closer look at. In “Omnio-Bardo” there’s also the most celestial electronic sound I’ve ever heard on here. Actually I couldn’t find any detailed information about which equipment they’ve been used for that and in fact I’ve to say they failed completely to reproduce this atmosphere on stage at the Caledonian Hall concert (there it sounded just like a noisy mess). It sounds as something like a Theremin or maybe some amp-effect but anyway absolutely unique and spine-chilling like the whole of this masterly done album. To sum up my review I just can say that “Omnio” must be considered a definite must-have in any metal-oriented prog collection. This album is really exceptional and extraordinary providing an ultimate experience of haunting and goose-bumping music even after hundreds of spins. Though usually I’m trying to be mean with my 5-star-ratings I think this one fully deserves it. Posted Friday, November 10, 2006, 02:06 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by el böthy (matias boettner)PROG REVIEWER Unlike my fellow reviewers before me, I am not that enthusiastic about this album. I find it to be quite good, the band is original, but all the songs are pretty much the same, especially when it comes to the sound of this album, it doesn’t change, it stays the same from start to finish. Some might call that their personal sound, granted, it is, but then this is a very monotonous one; some variation would be more than welcomed from my part. Posted Saturday, March 24, 2007, 15:12 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by sinkadotentree (john davie)PROG REVIEWER The soundscapes provided on this album are melancholic,dark,crushingly heavy,tormented,pastoral and heartbreakingly beautiful. "299 796 km/s" opens with violin,and the heaviness is not far behind.Dual vocals come in as the song speeds up.There is a female soprano vocal melody before it gets pastoral again with violin(like intro).There is some mind bending guitar as well as some wonderful vocals from Synne,she can sing so beautifuly and yet sound so tortured at the same time.The throbbing bass is great,and so is the heaviness 14 minutes in.This song somehow can draw out my emotions."I am your Flesh" opens with blazing guitar,vovals and heavy riffs from the get go.It slows down 80 seconds in,before accellerating again with screaming guitar,incredible bass and pounding drums.This contrast continues,from atmospheric to very powerful.Amazing!"Kairos!" is the shortest with heavy guitars and those wonderful female vocals.Nice drumming on this one as well."Weeping Willow" has such a great guitar melody,then it gets heavy again of course.Some keys in this one as the melody speeds up.The sound becomes punishingly heavy as bass and drums lead the way 6 minutes in.The sound continues to be crushing with some scorching guitar solos.Nice.Great song! The final section "Omnio?" is over 26 minutes long and is divided into 3 parts.It starts with "Omnio?(pre)" as the guitars,violin and vocals lead the way.The song starts to build quickly 3 and a half minutes in and explodes with drums and a scathing guitar solo.More great guitar to follow and unearthly vocals.The sound 9 minutes in is ecstacy to my ears.More incredible bass."Omnio?(bardo)" has this experimental,spacey synth intro.Drums and guitar follow at a slow pace,but they start to build as the spacey soundscape continues!Holy crap!Unbelievable!"Omnio?(post)" opens with mellow piano and female vocals as sound increases.Male vocals and heavy riffs follow.Things quiet down as reserved male vocals are joined by spacey synths.Some scorching guitar as sound speeds up to the end of the song.What a ride!Let's do it again! This is essential,and i can guarantee if you liked GREEN CARNATION's "Light Of Day,Day Of Darkness",you'll love this one too.Actually the Botteri brother's and the female singer Synne from IN THE WOODS..., were part of GREEN CARNATION's first album "Journey To the End Of the Night" from 2000.In THE WOODS... last studio record came out in 1999 "Strange In Stereo" and then these three became part of GREEN CARNATION for one album only.I confess to have a rooted interest in Norwegian music,as my family history goes way back to Norway via Scotland.And i will say again, the music from this album will draw out of your heart and soul things you may not have felt in a long time.An emotional masterpiece! Posted Saturday, March 31, 2007, 00:45 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by Finnforest (James)PROG REVIEWER “as I turned my fragile skin-I reached Omnio…” Posted Tuesday, July 03, 2007, 21:40 EST | Permanent link Guests ReviewsIN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by V0lcaN0 In the Woods give another meaning to the term of progress. Mid-tempo or slow orchestrations with violins, slow guitars and accompaning vocals create a unique atmosphere. This album is the band's best(along with Strange in Stereo) and clearly deserves everyone's attention. From the start of the album 299.796km/h take you to a magic journey through valleys and lakes into some unknown places that are created by your fantasy as you listen to the outstanding music created by this band. The lead singer is the most fitting one possible for this type of music, and there is also Synne Larsen, probably the best female singer I have heard. I am your flesh is a rather aggressive, sick and scary song, while kairos and weeping willow motivate you in different ways until you reach the conclusion, the divided into three parts track Omnio. This is a journey for something uncertain, through melodies painted in landscapes and sceneries, a search for something, a search for omnio, until you find it in the end, uncertain of what you have found, and if it was worth all this effort. And I don't mean the album, because as hard it might seem at first, it is definetely worth listening. A clear masterpiece of a unique style of music. Posted Thursday, January 13, 2005, 14:59 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by ulver982 (Chris)Great album!! It's nothing like their 2 previous albums, HEart of the Ages and A Return to the Aisle of Man. Don't be put off by the so-called black metal influences. You'll only hear two growls in the whole album and that's in I Am Your Flesh. So if you listened to the sample mp3 on the site, don't worry, not a single growl in site for the rest of the album. In their next couple of albums, the growls are taken away altogether. In The Woods' music is dark yet beautiful at the same time...it's definetly headphone music, and you'll need a few listens to hear everything. The use of the 5-string quartet and piano in their music is superb. The highlight of the album is the epic 3-part Omnio? (pre, bardo, post). The song has everything you could want in an epic..tempo changes, wonderful melodies, and great musicanship. The song keeps you guessing as to what they're going to do next and hardly anything is repeated. What really caught my ear is the great melody and lyrics that you'll hear in "pre"(done with male vocal) and the repeat of it in "bardo" (female vocal). Yet it sounds new because of the different vocals, the overall music, and the 15 minutes that past since you last heard it. I wish In The Woods... would get more recognition on this site, being the great band they are, or should I say were :(. 5 star masterpiece...ever since I heard this album 6 yeras ago, it still blows me away today. Posted Friday, September 02, 2005, 20:22 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by Asphalt (liviu gajora) a very special album, quite dissapointed it doesn't get more attention Posted Saturday, July 08, 2006, 16:13 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by Lord Valderon (Shaun)Amazing. I don't wish to get into a lengthy explanation of the intricate sounds this album portrays, I just want to say whole heartidly that this is one of the best albums I have ever heard. They just seem to cullminate all the different genres of music I love and search for. Therefore, I couldn't refuse a five star rating in this case because, although it has it very few aggressive moments, I beleive they are essential in building the many scapes and emotions they seem to want to project. This is a hard to find band, one of those undiscovered mysteries that can be uncovered after some determined digging - and once it is given a chance, I have no problem in stating that this album is 100% essential. Posted Monday, July 10, 2006, 19:23 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by zaxx (Olivier Benard)An amazing album... very emotional piece of work from a so called "black metal" band. In fact, it sounds more like a mix of atmospheric metal, doom metal and dark rock with an operatic feeling... nothing black metal at all. It has the emotion of Anathema, the darkness and sadness of Katatonia and the epicness of Opeth. "299 796 km/s" opens the album with a great epic which perfectly summarizes everything that can be found on the album - operatic male and female vocals, great guitar lines enhanced by classical instruments (violin, viola, cello), metallic moments blending with more mellow passages but always in an emotional way. "I Am Your Flesh" starts more aggressively with heavy guitars and even a few angry grunts, but very quickly it turns into a sorrowful piece of dark metal, with vocal emotions ranging from anger to despair. "Kairos!" is the only short track on the album, and it's totally different from the rest of the songs here - it's a ballad that starts with acoustic guitar solo and only female vocals can be heard (the last half of the song really sounds like a Tristania ballad... the female vocalist really has a wonderful voice). "Weeping Willow" is my least favorite track on the album - this second epic has a quite long and boring intro, but things start to get better after 3 minutes when the heavier guitars take the lead. "Omnio?" ends the album like it began, with an awesome epic, a 25 minutes long song divided in three parts. "Pre" starts with the "Paradise Lost" sounding guitar (like on the first song) and again a mix of male and female operatic vocals (the female sings both in english and french on this song). The last guitar line fades out and "bardo" starts like a keyboard interlude before acoustic then electric guitars join for the eeriest moment on the album, ending on an angry scream. "Post" starts with a piano intro and female vocals - another beautiful moment - before growing again with guitars, strings and male vocals like on the first part of the song. Rating: 97/100 (5 stars - highly recommended) Posted Sunday, December 10, 2006, 06:35 EST | Permanent link IN THE WOODS... — OmnioReview by FruMp (Richard Ingham) Dreary depressing modern metal. Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 11:47 EST | Permanent link Track Listings1. 299 796 km/s (14:46) Releases informationMisanthropy / Amazonian Music amazon011 1997 |
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ProgBagel
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 13 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2819 |
Posted: November 03 2007 at 14:11 |
It's awesome, I love the cover too.
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chamberry
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 24 2005 Location: Puerto Rico Status: Offline Points: 9008 |
Posted: November 03 2007 at 14:53 |
One of the best in the genre.
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ProgBagel
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 13 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2819 |
Posted: November 04 2007 at 01:08 |
No love, ay?
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el böthy
Prog Reviewer Joined: April 27 2005 Location: Argentina Status: Offline Points: 6336 |
Posted: November 04 2007 at 11:46 |
As I explain in my review, I like the album but I found it to be a bit too monotonous at parts, as all songs seem to be not that different from each other. So I gave it a 3 star review, based on my "objectivity". Now, based on my "subjectivity" its one of my favorite metal albums, 4 stars if I had to review it based on this notion. 299 796 km/s is probably in my top 5 of metal songs, its simply put a masterpiece, a 14 minutes masterpiece!!!
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"You want me to play what, Robert?"
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Apsalar
Forum Senior Member Joined: June 06 2006 Location: gansu Status: Offline Points: 2888 |
Posted: November 04 2007 at 18:31 |
Certainly one of my top prog-metal bands, though I was listening to them before I knew 'bout prog. Truthfully I prefer Heart of the Ages a wee bit more than Omnio. Probably something to do with my BM roots.
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