In The Woods... Go On A Journey In "Cease The Day"

There are a lot of hidden goodies in the world of Norwegian black metal, but In The Woods… have long been claimed as one of the best hidden gems the genre has to offer, and their new album is a great indicator of why. In The Woods… go on a journey in Cease The Day, a thrilling and intense record filled with emotion and dynamic.

Cease The Day begins dramatically, opening track ‘Empty Streets‘ opening slowly and softly before rage takes over during the tracks nine-minute run. The slow build of the rage and its trudging drive really create that sense of a brooding rage rather than an imminent one. That sort of theme continues throughout the record, tracks like ‘Substance Vortex‘ mixing blend of atmosphere and melody with more intense, raging parts to create a thrilling vibe. Meanwhile, songs like ‘Strike Up With The Dawn‘ are much more about the effects of the pain as you can physically feel it hit you with each punch of the snare.

The beauty of black metal isn’t the rage, but rather how that rage is shown. That’s why the brooding nature of Cease The Day is so pertinent to the album. It finds its own unique space in the way it releases. Emotion rides deep in tracks like ‘Respect My Solitude,’ as the band performs and sings melodically for a significant part of the track. They’re lost and don’t know where to go at that point of the record, searching for where this journey of recovery will take them. Sometimes it takes a deep, emotional turn like in ‘Still Yearning,’ while at others it takes a darker, more savage note like in ‘Transcending Yesterdays’ with its tortured cries of “Come to me.” There’s a lot going on within the narrative of Cease The Day that make it such an invigorating listen.

In The Woods… go on a journey in Cease The Day, their new album that really shows why they’re one of Norway’s finest. The way the narrative of this record begins and ends tells you all you need to know about black metal and the band’s story, which is never an easy egg to crack. In the end, In The Woods’ flawless formula doesn’t disappoint, though.

Favorite Track: Transcending Yesterdays

Least Favorite Track: Cloud Seeder

Rating: 76 / 100

Stream or buy Cease The Day on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: