A Forest of Stars

Sonically, A Forest of Stars represent the avant-garde spectrum of 21st century black metal. Conceptually, this "gentlemen's club" (with one female member) is of an older vintage, and their work bears all the Victorian gothic imagery and accoutrements that such imaginative origins demand. A Shadow Play for Yesterdays is the band's third album. Resonating with decadence, depravity and religious crises, it tells a story vaguely reminiscent of Jekyll and Hyde mixed with Dorian Gray. The most aggressive element of the record is lead vocalist Mister Curse's anguished cries, which are offset by eerie melodies from the violin, flute and soprano. The rest of the instrumentation (and chanting) mediates, ranging from a laid-back kind of post-rock vibe to something much more intense. A Shadow Play for Yesterdays is deliberately and compellingly unsettling, its mood constantly shifting. Its companion video (for "Gatherer of the Pure") is, literally, a shadow play, offering a visual interpretation of the album's uncanny atmosphere and aesthetics.