Forest Stream

In the spirit of My Dying Bride, the music of Russia’s Forest Stream is slow and brooding, melancholy and atmospheric. Yet there are also elements of black metal and even hints of brutal death metal on Tears of Mortal Solitude, like in the vocals of "Mel Kor,” for example, and some of the quieter passages are reminiscent of late-era Lake of Tears. Mostly though, Forest Stream’s debut is a slow doomy dance through cold, darkness and sorrow. Much of the album’s atmosphere is created by the flowing keyboard lines that add to its thickness and moodiness, taking turns with delicate finger-picked guitar melodies for the lead role. The songs on Tears of Mortal Solitude are the kind that wash over you, slowly seeping into your consciousness and infusing it with images of bare-limbed trees, grey-brown fields, still frozen lakes, and empty grey skies.