┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Forefather - Last Of The Line + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Feb-19-2012 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │ │║ Genre........Black Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........2011 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......The_Patriarch Songs........12 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.forefather.net ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Forefather Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : Last Of The Line Label : Seven KIngdoms ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ When a band records a masterpiece, the following ║ │ │║ album is usually approached with careful ║ │ │║ optimism and a good load of natural scepticism, ║ │ │║ because only too often they cannot re-capture ║ │ │║ the brilliance of the previous effort. British ║ │ │║ FOREFATHERÆs ôSteadfastö had been such an ║ │ │║ instance back in 2008, where I pulled out the ║ │ │║ 9,5 rating without hesitation and now with ôLast ║ │ │║ Of The Lineö they are back to take the world by ║ │ │║ storm once more and unleash their unique brand ║ │ │║ of Anglo-Saxon Metal on the hordes of Metal fans ║ │ │║ out there. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Now when I say unique, I mean that you can ║ │ │║ fairly easily identify a FOREFATHER track out of ║ │ │║ a line-up of more or less related songs, thanks ║ │ │║ to the dynamic mix of Pagan/Viking Metal, some ║ │ │║ Heavy/Power Metal influences in the riffing and ║ │ │║ the inimitable use of excellent clear vocals ║ │ │║ that never are used as a gimmick to make the ║ │ │║ music more approachable, but are always used ║ │ │║ within the best context of the song. So to come ║ │ │║ back to ôLast Of The Lineö, it had been an album ║ │ │║ that was very quietly approaching, since I had ║ │ │║ not even been aware it was in the making until ║ │ │║ it hit, so the brothers of Athelstan and ║ │ │║ Wulfstan surely are not about flashy promotion ║ │ │║ and trying to have their name appear in every ║ │ │║ piece of the yellow press, just to create a ║ │ │║ hype, instead they are quietly doing their thing ║ │ │║ and even release it on their own label Seven ║ │ │║ Kingdoms, so to say that they are pulling their ║ │ │║ own thing through could not be closer to the ║ │ │║ truth. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ And while my scepticism was trying to take over ║ │ │║ when I first listened to the new album, the ║ │ │║ first listen left me unsure of what to think, ║ │ │║ because while all the ôingredientsö were there, ║ │ │║ only some of the tracks managed to catch fire, ║ │ │║ so I was not sure, if it was because of my ║ │ │║ expectations being too high, the songs not being ║ │ │║ as magnificent as hoped for or the beauty just ║ │ │║ laid underneath. So on to the next round and ║ │ │║ from then on with each repeated listen, the ║ │ │║ world of FOREFATHER opened up a little further ║ │ │║ again, revealing more and more details. At first ║ │ │║ I had thought that one-minute opener ôCometh The ║ │ │║ Kingö would be nothing but your usual intro, but ║ │ │║ no, the two young Englishmen managed to put a ║ │ │║ full, short and epic instrumental song at the ║ │ │║ prow of this longship piercing through the waves ║ │ │║ of the Northern Sea. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ôEpicö is probably the adjective best describing ║ │ │║ ôLast Of The Lineö, and while I could have ║ │ │║ perfectly lived with a ôSteadfast Part IIö, I ║ │ │║ commend the two brothers for not just taking the ║ │ │║ easy way out by performing a mere repeat. ║ │ │║ Instead I find that the influence of Power/Heavy ║ │ │║ Metal seems a little higher in the riffs and ║ │ │║ also some of the melody lines, but donÆt fret, ║ │ │║ they have not gone commercial on us or stepped ║ │ │║ away from their roots, we still get the fast ║ │ │║ eruptions, the fierce growls and pagan feel, ║ │ │║ together with the excellent clear vocals of ║ │ │║ Wulfstan and sweeping melodies bringing us a mix ║ │ │║ that still to this date nobody really has ║ │ │║ managed to emulate, which obviously speaks for ║ │ │║ the bandÆs originality. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ As before, it is difficult for me to pick/point ║ │ │║ out single songs, but if I was forced to name my ║ │ │║ personal favourites, IÆd have to mention the ║ │ │║ following, all for different reasons, be it the ║ │ │║ catchiness of the title track, the immediate ║ │ │║ urgency intertwined with the playful guitars of ║ │ │║ ôChorus Of Steelö, the sweeping and super-catchy ║ │ │║ chorus of ôWolves Of Prayerö, the once more ║ │ │║ soaring chorus of ôDoomsday Dawnsö, the sheer ║ │ │║ epic grandeur of ôSpears Of Faithö or the ║ │ │║ reflective and epic calmness of ôThe ║ │ │║ Downfallenö, distinctly FOREFATHER yet at the ║ │ │║ same time distinctly different. The only track ║ │ │║ that fails to connect with me is ôWyrda ║ │ │║ Gesceaftö, where the kind of spoken/recited ║ │ │║ delivery of the Old English lyrics doesnÆt quite ║ │ │║ mesh with the rest of the song, but that might ║ │ │║ very well just be me. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ The production once more is clear and strong, ║ │ │║ letting each element of FOREFATHERÆs sound shine ║ │ │║ and find its rightful place, while the artwork ║ │ │║ again is the perfect complement to the music ║ │ │║ contained. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ All in all, while not being able to surpass ║ │ │║ ôSteadfastö, ôLast Of The Lineö is a very strong ║ │ │║ album for FOREFATHER and stands in full ║ │ │║ tradition of their previous releases without ║ │ │║ resorting to copyism or forced evolution. Even ║ │ │║ with their sixth album, Athelstan and Wulfstan ║ │ │║ still stand proud in the prow of the longship ║ │ │║ that is FOREFATHER, spearheading Anglo-Saxon ║ │ │║ Metal worldwide! ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 01 - Cometh the King [00:54] │ │ 02 - Last of the Line [04:44] │ │ 03 - Chorus of Steel [04:43] │ │ 04 - By Thy Deeds [04:51] │ │ 05 - Up High [05:09] │ │ 06 - Wolves of Prayer [04:58] │ │ 07 - Wyrda Gesceaft [03:06] │ │ 08 - Doomsday Dawns [06:43] │ │ 09 - Shadows of the Dead [05:25] │ │ 10 - Spears of Faith [04:54] │ │ 11 - The Downfallen [05:53] │ │ 12 - Into the Rising Sun [03:52] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [55:12 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘