Country of origin:Finland
Location:Hyvinkää, Uusimaa
Status:Active

Formed in:1998
Genre:Epic Black Metal/Ambient
Lyrical themes:Fantasy
Current label:Werewolf Records
Years active:1998-1999, 2016-present
Compilation appearance(s):- In Mordor Where the Shadows Are - Homage to Summoning (2016).

DISCOGRAPHY

Druadan Forest Demo 1998
Mirkwood Demo 1998
Minas Tirith Demo 1999
Paths of the Dead Compilation 2016
The End of Colours EP 2016
The Loremasters Time Full-length 2016
The End of an Era - A Journey to the Unknown Compilation 2017
The Lost Dimension Full-length 2017
The True Werwolf / Druadan Forest Split 2018
Dismal Spells from the Dragonrealm Full-length 2019
Kingdoms Long Gone Split 2020

current line up

V-Khaoz Everything (1998-1999, 2016-present)
See also: Grieve, Marras, Olio Tähtien Takana, V-Khaoz, Vargrav, ex-...Fallen, ex-Oath, ex-Oath of Cirion, ex-Svartalfheim, Old Serpent's Lore, ex-Azaghal, ex-Hiisi, ex-Kalmankantaja, ex-Hin Onde, ex-Hellkult, ex-Calm (Fin), ex-Illusion of Death

reviews

Enter the Lost Dimension - 90%
Sokratemnos, February 20th, 2018

I've seen lots of comments online that compare Druadan Forest's latest release to Summoning. Whilst the resemblance is indeed there - as is the case with the majority of epic/atmospheric black metal bands these days - it seems a lazy comparison to make in this case. I prefer to liken 'The Lost Dimension' to a soundtrack, with orchestral arrangements that sometime feel as dramatic as Wintersun at their most bombastic. Throughout the album, Druadan Forest make use of a wide, eclectic variety of mystical and unusual synths in addition to more traditional elements. This enchanting nature of the album helps to create a superb flow; despite the relatively short runtime of 40 minutes, the album somehow seems both much longer and much quicker than that.

Every track is expertly created, with layers creating unique textures for each song: in "Dragons of Forgotten Times", we're treated to an atmosphere that seems calm, but betrays something dark roaming in the background; "Beyond the Sun, Beyond the Moon" showcases an expert understanding of how to build layers in a song, to great effect; and the final track, "Plaintive Winds Swept Through Forgotten Battlefields" is a haunting close to an excellent album. I feel that this album stands apart from popular contemporaries like Eldamar due to significant diversity in songwriting, whilst still keeping the overarching themes of the album coherent; the inclusion of medieval sounding chord progressions is but one interesting twist, and no two songs feel like they are playing the same part.

That is not to say that this album is faultless. The drums are buried under the layers, and the vocals could really do with being less drowned in reverb. As with many acts of this kind, one has to wonder how far stylistic choice acts as a detriment to the music. Nevertheless, these are small gripes. It is often said that the best things are a long time in the making; Druadan Forest are 20 years in the making, and it really shows.

Lost Dimensions - 80%
dismember_marcin, December 28th, 2017

It's funny, but sometimes it's enough to look at the cover and you already know what kind of music you can expect from the album. That's exactly what I felt before I started to listen to Druadan Forest's second album "The Lost Dimension". I never heard of this band before, first time I saw its name was when I got this CD from Wolfspell Records. But looking at that beautiful artwork, with dreamy, fantasy landscape, logo and the Tolkien based name, the whole other art and design for this CD, I expected the music to be in the vein of bands like Summoning or Caladan Brood. And of course it is haha! Which is not a problem, I'm always looking forward to listen to new bands. But you know what? I've never been huge Summoning fan. And I think I've listened to Caladan Brood's album maybe couple of times only. I always felt slightly bored with their epic, yet very symphonic and melodic style and lyrics based on Tolkien's works. I think that such music is just too much one dimensional, too monotonous for me and too happy sounding also. I could never get deep into that fantasy atmosphere. I could listen to such stuff occasionally, but never for too long. Well, since Druadan Forest sounds exactly like these two bands, then the problem is also exactly the same. Luckily for me, "The Lost Dimension" is not too long, the album is closed within 40 minutes, so I have never felt bored while listening to it. And I even surprised myself that I can enjoy such stuff so much.

The music on "The Lost Dimension" is obviously very keyboard oriented. This instrument plays a dominant role, so the music is strongly symphonic and highly melodic (for some reason the atmosphere sometimes reminds me also of Mortiis!!!). It's doomy fantasy (black??) metal with shrieking vocals and epic nature. The bombastic atmosphere is obviously quite dark, but also enchanting and you can even describe the music as beautiful, because these melodies and orchestral parts are truly "nice" and "pleasant". It's very well composed music, definitely, I have to say that V-Khaoz (also known from bands like Oath, Azaghal and Hin Onde) came up with some very good songs. His arrangements and whole performance - from keyboards and guitars to the croaky, harsh vocals - is great. And songs like "The Shadowborn" or "Beyond the Sun, Beyond the Moon" - or any other, as the song quality is very even, with no fillers - is as high as you can imagine in this sort of music. I only skip the opening track "Dreams upon a Crimson Dawn" sometimes, because it's just useless symphonic intro.

So, from the strict technical aspect, I won't say anything wrong about "The Lost Dimension". It's very well composed and performed. Whether you'll like the music or not, that just depends on your own taste. I enjoyed this album a lot, I have to say. It's so easily listenable and memorable that it's somehow almost impossible to resist it and its epic aura, so I spent nice few hours playing it. Even if I started to feel fed up with it, I switched to something else, but soon returned to "The Lost Dimension", because it's just so fun to listen to. Yeah, I know that Druadan Forest sounds way too much like Summoning, so the originality is not the strongest aspect of this record. I know also that there's not much difference between these songs, speaking of the tempos, riff and keyboard style, vocals, etc. But it doesn't matter, because the music is very well composed and played. I am sure that "The Lost Dimension" will please many of you also. Definitely it's worth of your interest, so grab a copy and support Druadan Forest.

Standout tracks: "The Shadowborn", "Beyond the Sun, Beyond the Moon"
Verdict: 80/100

Through the Wilds They Ride - 86%
TheStormIRide, December 17th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2017, CD, Wolfspell Records (Digipak)

Originally formed in 1998 by Finnish multi-instrumentalist V-Khaoz, Druadan Forest released a trio of demos between 1998 and 1999. The project was then shelved for seventeen years, before being resurrected in 2016 when the project released the Paths of the Dead compilation in March, which featured all the tracks from the demos, followed by an EP, The End of Colours, which was released in May, and the project’s first full length, The Loremasters Time, in September of 2016. One year out from the first full length, Druadan Forest dropped a second full length album, The Lost Dimension, through Wolfspell Records.

Druadan Forest contributed a cover of Summoning’s “Beyond Bloodred Horizons” to the Wolfspell Records In Mordor Where the Shadows Are tribute album in 2016. Summoning is actually a really good point of reference to begin delving into Druadan Forest’s sound. Similarly influenced by the works of Tolkien (even the band’s name is a forest from Middle Earth where the wild men of the woods were from), the band’s music offers grandiose yet lush atmospheric soundscapes mixed with hypnotic black metal. Interestingly, The Lost Dimension, despite having more than a fair share of black metal passages, plays through like some form of whimsical, yet dark soundtrack. The arrangements are full bodied and sweeping, steering clear from typical keyboard noodling drivel in favor of what plays through like actual orchestra accouterments, though a few bits of what could pass as dungeon synth shine through. One of my favorite movements during album occurs during the lengthy “Beyond the Sun, Beyond the Moon”, when deep, resonant strings provide an emotive and robust backing.

The above description might make one assume that the black metal in the project’s sound is fleeting at best, but the ambient and atmospheric movements do give way to flourishes of tremolo riffing and harsh screams. The sweeping atmosphere seems to make the frigid climes into hypnotic black metal all the more rewarding when they are unleashed. The album is remarkably short for one in the style, clocking in well under forty minutes, which might keep the black metal from being truly mesmerizing and cathartic. That being said, the combination of treble-laden tremolo riffing and airy keyboard backing is a tried and true staple of atmospheric black metal that V-Khaoz has absolutely nailed, in what comes across as evocative and effortlessly classy music. There are even some really cool surprises during these moments, like the jaw harp during “The Shadowborn” or the previously mentioned string segments.

While it’s probably not the most sweeping or grandiose atmospheric black metal album ever produced, it’s pretty damn good for what it is. Classy orchestrations and hypnotic black metal combine in some bastard amalgamation of fantasy soundtrack and metal. It’s an album that should be listened to from start to finish. While the album’s short play time keeps The Lost Dimension from being a wholly immersive experience, I certainly found myself enjoying every second of the ride. V-Khaoz may have be involved with an armload of projects, but Druadan Forest is probably the classiest of the bunch.

Written for The Metal Observer.