Tag: Dark Forest

DARK FOREST To Release ‘Ridge & Furrow’ EP In October

Enrico

Heralded British traditional metallers DARK FOREST will release the five-song “Ridge & Furrow” EP this October via Cruz Del Sur Music. The follow-up to 2020’s “Oak, Ash & Thorn” was recorded at Hellfire Studios in the Midlands of England with producer Ajeet Gill.

Founding DARK FOREST member, guitarist and primary songwriter Christian Horton used his pandemic downtime wisely. The extra, unexpected free time allowed him to craft new DARK FOREST material between full-length releases. Horton’s burst of creativity coincided with the eventual (and much-needed) re-opening of pubs across England that led to the band resuming live activity. But the immediate future brings “Ridge & Furrow”, a project that has taken on special meaning for Horton that offers the perfect segue to the band’s next full-length album.

“As I began to write new material during 2020, it occurred to me that if we could get enough songs to form an EP and have it recorded and released by 2022, it would be the perfect thing to mark the occasion of the band’s 20th anniversary,” says Horton. “This is one reason why the project began to take on a personal significance. As the founder of DARK FOREST, it would serve as a milestone on the band’s journey and is why I decided to handle a lot of aspects of the record myself, including the artwork. The EP became a project that was close to my heart and I also wanted to bring back something of the early DARK FOREST atmosphere, as I used to do the art back then too, to create a kind of symmetry between points in time.”

The five songs contained herein are classic DARK FOREST. Josh Winnard’s effortless vocal delivery rouses the band’s impenetrable wall of melody and might. The EP format also allowed Horton and the rest of DARK FOREST (completed by second guitarist Patrick Jenkins and drummer Adam Sidaway) to spread the creative wings a bit — and include a fan favorite from their past.

“The music is still very melodic and lead guitar-driven, but there’s a good mixture of material for a short record,” says Horton. “Each song has a different mood and feeling. There’s high-octane, up-tempo and there’s stoic and reflective. We also decided to include a re-recording of an old DARK FOREST classic ‘Under The Greenwood Tree’, which was always a live favorite and befitting an EP that marks an anniversary. It felt like the song which truly encapsulates the spirit of DARK FOREST.”

“Ridge & Furrow” track listing:

  1. Skylark
  2. The Golden Acre
  3. Ridge & Furrow
  4. Meadowland
  5. Under The Greenwood Tree

Legendary Artist Duncan Storr Illuminates GATEKEEPER’s ‘East Of Sun’ Album Cover

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Soon, the metal world will get to absorb the sounds of GATEKEEPER’s first full-length album, “East Of Sun”, an epic metal tour-de-force that will see the light of day this April via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Soon, the metal world will get to absorb the sounds of GATEKEEPER’s first full-length album, “East Of Sun”, an epic metal tour-de-force that will see the light of day this April via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Rewind back to the early months of 2017, though, and it was legendary British artist Duncan Storr (DARK FOREST, EDGE OF SANITY, RAGE, SKYCLAD) who became one of the first people to hear the demos that would ultimately become “East Of Sun”. Well before they were signed to Cruz Del Sur, GATEKEEPER leader Geoff Blackwell mustered up the courage to email Storr a demo to see if he’d be willing to work on the project. Luckily for Blackwell and co., Storr took an immediate liking to GATEKEEPER and got down to business.

 

“I liked the demo and asked to hear a few more songs if they had more,” says Storr. “Geoff sent me over another two demos to listen to so I could get a good feel for their sound. The titles of the tracks ‘Warrior Without Fear’, ‘Oncoming Ice’, and ‘East Of Sun West of Moon’, sparked something and I got a few ideas from listening to the tracks.”

Storr proceed to reach into his vault and selected an unfinished piece he thought would be suit GATEKEEPER. “I sent Geoff a few of these images and relayed how I would like to incorporate some of the song ideas and embellish the atmosphere in the painting,” he says. “He got back to me after showing the rest of the band. The band have been great to work with and have kept me informed and added more demos for me to work with as I paint. I find this always helps.”

“We had a short list of people that we wanted to work with on this album and Duncan Storr was on it,” adds Blackwell. “He is a real gentleman and a master behind the paintbrush. The piece he showed us instantly clicked with our vision for the record and in a way, it drove us to work even harder on the music in order to match the quality of his art. GATEKEEPER would like to thank Duncan for his hard work, dedication to his craft and for being a loyal fan of rock and roll.”