Woods Of Ypres
Woods 4:The Green Album

The last work of the brilliant Canadians, and unfortunately, the latter in the literal sense: the group officially ceased to exist after this album. The album itself was released in a limited edition, after which it was posted by the group on MySpace for free download. Such a farewell gift to fans. The album is devoted to the theme of ecology, in particular, the conservation of forests. What can I say - a worthy topic, especially for Canada. The sound itself completely disappeared from the black motifs of the early works and turned into a rhythmic melodic doom of the highest standard, with acoustic inserts where necessary, fleshy guitars and, overwhelmingly, clear vocals. Lyrical mid-tempo doom ballads are sometimes replaced by fast rhythmic compositions, and a large track list (as many as 16 songs) allows you to fully enjoy all the facets of the diverse moods of this 78-minute musical journey. Like a good wine, with each subsequent listening to the album only blossoms, and if after the first listening six months ago this disc was not among my favorite works, now it is definitely among the top ten. It cannot be said that this is a brilliant work, striking in the technicality or innovation of the musical material, but all the possible flaws of the album here are a continuation of its merits. Therefore, first of all I recommend this disc to fans of doom and doom-death directions, they will definitely appreciate its hidden beauty and potential power. For everyone else, the album will definitely not be a revelation, but it will certainly deliver a few wonderful minutes.

And listening to Woods IV: The Green Album, crippling sadness is everywhere. At points, Gold is contemplaying suicide; at others, he’s just wishing h...