Founded in 2007, the English band A FOREST OF STARS released their debut album 'The Corpse Of Rebirth' just one year later and it divided the black metal community. While some praised the creative expansion towards psychedelic and acoustic folk, others have seen a downplaying of the bleak aggressiveness of "true" black metal. Since I myself consider old school black metal as old-fashioned and hackneyed, it is not difficult to guess that I am one of those who appreciate the genre-bending style of this band. So I was looking forward with eager anticipation to the second album of A FOREST OF STARS.
Once more 'Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring' is brimming with creativity, resulting in a dark and varied album that is very far removed from genre-clichés. In particular, the aggressive component is partially widened. While the debut album sounded in places ambient and dark wave-biased (and therefore tended towards gothic), the recent one has a considerably higher percentage of guitars, including the rough vocals of Mister Curse. Thus, 'Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring' has moved closer to classic black metal. Nonetheless, you hear almost everywhere Katheryne's violin in the background and she adds a personal touch to the six songs and fills quieter passages with sad melodies.
Additionally, dark ambient influences are embedded in the music, which make the songs more interesting. You definitely have to give a listen to the third track 'Summertide's Approach', that represents the whole range of A FOREST OF STARS. There, rough-sounding guitarchords are accompanied by alienated chantings that lead to calmer places, that are dominated by Katheryne's violin. All in all, however, each track is distinctly worth hearing and is bursting with creativity. This is why 'Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring' is recommended for all who have a preferance for dusky music.
(Blaue Nacht)