Artist......: Woods of Desolation
     Album.......: Torn Beyond Reason
     Year........: 2022

     Genre.......: Black Metal
     Label.......: Season of Mist Underground Activists
     Cat.No......:

     Source......: WEB (24bit)
     Encoder.....: libFLAC
     Quality.....: 1771kbps avg. / 48.0kHz / 2 channels

     Playtime....: 00:38:00  (511.04MB)
     R.date......: 2023-01-06
     S.date......: 2022-09-09

     Website.....: http://open.qobuz.com/album/n2uaqwnxao9xa


     Disc 1 / 1
     --------

     01. Torn Beyond Reason                                               6:23
     02. Darker Days                                                      5:13
     03. An Unbroken Moment                                               7:03
     04. The Inevitable End                                               9:13
     05. November                                                         2:48
     06. Somehow                                                          7:20


     Sad, melancholic and epic are the three main adjectives with what I'm able
     to classify this Woods Of Desolation's «Torn Beyond Reason». Impressive!

     I found Woods Of Desolation a few months ago through YouTube and since then
     I'm in love with this australian band. Equally, I also found Austere,
     another australian group, that unfortunately have splitted up during May
     2010 - even so, they have left two great albums in its legacy: "Withering
     Illusions And Desolation" and "To Lay Like Old Ashes". However, Tim Yatras
     (aka Sorrow in Austere) did not throw away his role in the arts of darkness
     by joining forces with D., from Woods Of Desolation, and, as guest, Yatras
     cooperated on drums and on vocals while D. was on guitars and on bass. From
     this cooperation was created one of my 2011's favourite discs: "Torn Beyond
     Reason".

     This year of 2011 also marks the reissue of their first album, "Toward The
     Depths" which was released in 2008, and in three years the level of
     production and creativity increased a thousand times.

     The album starts with the catchy, melodic and melancholic title-track,
     followed by the "Darker Days" song. This track starts with an accoustic
     intro, followed by a little electronic passage and about this point I could
     see some risk to put such thing in a record like that, in other hand I
     think it fits perfectly if they wanted to innovate, but I don't want to go
     further into this subject, because it is an isolated case.

     With "An Unbroken Moment" comes the epic, sad and boundless soundscapes.
     Just beautiful! The blend between the lead guitar and the choirs is simple,
     but undeniably chilling. This kind of picture continues in the next song,
     "The Inevitable End", mainly expressed by the melodic guitar, but I felt
     that the deepest feeling lies in the previous song.

     After the instrumental track called "November" that could be used by any
     band to leave the stage while the crowd is clapping their hands, erupts the
     last, most epic and most emotive song of the entire "Torn Beyond Reason"
     album: "Somehow...". The clean vocals are once again used (those type of
     vocals can also be heard in the "Darker Days" track), but the studio work
     for that matter was more refined on this song than on the other - the
     voices are louder and more listenable. The whole song works as a farewell,
     from the lyrics till the way it ends. The finishing part culminates with a
     strong, heavy, fast and melancholic environment that can spread sadness and
     a sense of nostalgia all over the room.

     During the several times I listened to this melancholic and depressive
     masterpiece I did not only find sadness and solitude, but also captured
     some scent of hope that is fueled by the nostalgia ambience. The only
     picture I can foresee from this album is someone sitting in the corner of a
     room not crying about the unlucky and unfortunate life, but crying about
     things he or she could have taken and did not and now that person is
     consumed by a serene repentance.

     Earlier, I said the level of production increased from previous works and
     it is true because the sound is more polished than in other releases, but
     not in an extreme manner, otherwise I fear the dark and gloomy essence
     would be lost. In other way, the vocals are still heard from the bottom of
     a well or from the edge of an abyss screaming for compassion and it is
     simply moving and suffocant if you are really into the scene.

     If you realised you lost something or someone important and want to be
     surrounded by this black cloud of suffering, I advise you this Woods Of
     Desolation's "Torn Beyond Reason". Even though, I keep warning you about
     the scent of hope, however it only can be found by the stronger.

     -Riff Magazine