Forest Silence.

A band clad in darkness and cloaked in intrigue and mystery. What is known is this: Winter is the sole member, forming Forest Silence whilst he was still playing in Sear Bliss (on a side note, their new record is one to be avoided) back in 1996 and based in Hungary. A couple of demo releases followed until in 2006 Philosophy Of Winter was unleashed. Not a lot has happened since then, a tight little EP – Winter Ritual – surfaced in 2010 featuring a couple of tracks from a long lost demo and apparently the project is still in an active state. Whatever the status of this band, Philosophy Of Winter is an ambient winter-laden marvel.

1. Bringer of Storm

2. Spirits Of The Wind

3. At The Dawning Of Chaos

4. Path Of Destruction

5. Philosophy Of Winter

Philosophy Of Winter has an incredibly cold tone, perfect for long winter nights and trekking through the deepest of snow drifts. The atmosphere is one of desolation, the harsh nature of Winter’s vocal beautifully offset by the use of swelling synths layered between swaying riffs and pulsing drums. Bathed in an icy glow of universal darkness, this record has a supremely frostbitten mood. There’s a deep solemnity that courses through the framework of the album, a sense of anguish and gloom.

This isn’t a record of blasting beats and violent guitar work, Forest Silence preferring to build atmosphere via brooding melody and low synthesised orchestral flourishes. Bleak soundscapes immersed in the abyssal chasms of Winter’s grasp ebb below the surface. The title track “Philosophy Of Winter” is shrouded in an enchanting glare of bitterness, at one point taking the “less is more” approach and delving into a sweetly minimal and almost industrial style for a portion of the closing section.

Traversing the abyss of sorrow Forest Silence bore mournfully into the soul, with Philosophy Of Winter seeming like a journey into a vast and frozen expanse of woodland. Hoarse and discordant vocal work sits in the pitch of night, rasping and suitably severe, counteracting the elegance of the ambient harmonies within. Spiritual.

Philosophy Of Winter