Darktrail, a Norwegian metal band formed in 2022, blends folk, 80s stadium rock, prog, and melodic death metal, crafting the trademark darkness of Scandinavian metal, blending it with aggressive guitars, heavy, angry breakdown sections, and screaming lead melodies — and on their latest album, “Creatures of The Woods”, they bring their high-adrenaline sound to the fore once more — keep reading for my thoughts!
“Creatures Of The Woods” opens with “Leap Of Faith”, a number that turns the energy up high early on in the track — and as the basses and guitars catch up, they’re kept moving smoothly by the angelic gothic vocals, the seemingly endless vocal harmonies only to entertain and engage with much aplomb. The heavy breakdown section is accompanied by a beautiful guitar solo, laying down a solid foundation to the track.
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As we journey on over the course of “Creatures Of The Woods”, we encounter tracks like “Water Spirit”, and then the title track, which, especially, impresses beyond fathom of reason with its elegant guitars, the dual leads and the chugging rhythms that lend a sense of aggression and grandeur that’s hard to beat. “Purgatory Flames” introduces pianos into the ensemble for the album, stepping more into the genre of speed metal with its faster cadence, and the sound still remains delightfully consistent with the tone of the album, only punctuating the energy of the presentation further.
As we start to bid adieu to “Creatures Of The Woods”, tracks like “Lightning Strikes Twice” and the curtain closer, “Haunted House”, really brings the tone of this album full circle. From start to end, “Creatures Of The Woods” is a thrill to listen to, and you really shouldn’t be missing this one. Take a listen to the track here!
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