This is a split between Lotus Thief and Forlesen. Both are US bands and both share members.
Lotus Thief open the split with In Perdition, a 12-minute song. I’m not familiar with the band, and I soon regret that immensely.
The song is an epic avant-garde expression of doom, black metal, and progressive/post-rock elements. The promo blurb tells me that this song draws “its source material from Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” (1353), in which people sheltered in place during the Black Death, telling tales to pass the time.”
It’s beautiful and affecting, with emotive clean singing from a singer that clearly knows how to use her voice effectively. It unfolds gradually and delicately, before bringing in heavier elements that are still imbued with great feeling. Every moment feels considered and thoughtfully arranged. It’s an absolutely exceptional song, and I’m hugely impressed. What a great find!
Forlesen, who made a mark with 2020’s Hierophant Violent and 2022’s Black Terrain, present us with a 12-minute track named Black Is the Color, which is apparently a rearrangement of a traditional folk ballad.
A sombre, doomy companion piece to In Perdition, Black Is the Color delivers a slow-burning song that initially presents a darker, broodier mood. It has a ritualistic, occult feel to it, which it develops further as it progresses. The song has traditional doom metal touches – somewhere between Windhand and Fvneral Fvkk – mixed with a folky underpinning that’s compelling. It’s really quite hypnotic, with an atmosphere that gradually builds and doesn’t let you go until the end.
Like its split partner this too is exceptionally crafted, but one that reveals its true grandeur over multiple spins, as its charms truly worm their way into your subconscious.
This is a ridiculously strong split release. An early highlight of 2024, don’t miss out on this one.
Wonderbox Metal 