Oxblood - Oi! NYC Skins - LP

OLD FOREST formed in London, England in 1998. Comprised of guitarist/bassist Beleth and vocalist/keyboardist Kobold (with programmed drums credited to “Grond”), the duo set out to make cold, archaic black metal in the tradition of early EMPEROR, DARKTHRONE and other like-minded Norwegian arsonists. Their 1998 demo “Of Mists and Graves” displayed a strong vision of what was to come, with a raw production befitting the gravelike atmosphere of the music. The group would follow up the next year with their first full-length “INTO THE OLD FOREST.” A record of pure, undiluted black metal, the LP shows OLD FOREST realizing their full potential. A grim miasma hangs over its eight tracks, with lurching and forlorn melodicism coupled with vicious blasting and violent riffs. Kobold’s ornate keyboard work adds a layer of gothic horror to the whole affair, its sinister aura placing this alongside the high points of 90s black metal. OLD FOREST would not release another record for nearly a decade, but this document places them in the pantheon of classic second-wave black metal. Nuclear War Now! Productions is proud to bring this record back into circulation.

- P. Lautensleger