The bleak beauty of Scotland's landscape has inspired countless artists since the Neolithic era.
A culture so deeply rooted in nature worship lends itself perfectly to droning soundscapes and harrowing lyrics, which is precisely what Glasgow's newly-founded The Woods have concocted for the unsuspecting listener's entertainment. Though the term 'entertainment' might only apply loosely here, as their self-titled tape release is anything but easy listening.
There are two ways to approach this monumental slab of atmospheric noise, one being the convenient way of online streaming, but to truly delve into The Woods' aural offering, I suggest you get your hands on a physical copy. Any band that decides to cover its tape packaging in stylised runes takes a great risk, and I was sceptical at first - do we really need more minimalist, pagan-folksy aesthetics in extreme metal? As it turns out, we do indeed.
When was the last time you've truly pored over a record's artwork beyond the 'oh, pretty packaging!' stage? Nothing quite beats the satisfaction of finally 'unlocking' the lyrics and getting a feel for the band's concept beyond the music, though the music itself is well worth checking out if you like noise of the sprawling, solemn and distorted variety.
'Birnam' starts out as a sparse, atmospheric composition and introduces sombre vocals reminiscent of Bell Witch, but with a distinct Scottish slant. This song demands patience as it ever so slowly unfurls and builds up room-filling layers of drone, until eventually it culminates in fuzzy distortion and faint screams offset by the drums, which maintain some sense of order and structure. The song title itself offers a glimpse at what may be The Woods' overriding theme: The Birnam Oak is an ancient hangman's tree located in the Highlands. As for the lyrics, giving away their content would spoil what I presume was The Woods' intention: if you want it bad enough, work a little for it.
'Janet Horne' follows a similarly restrained build-up: the warm, organic guitar tone and sparse cymbal hits briefly segue into clean vocals. This track however explores the band's doom and drone influences to a greater extent before it climaxes in distorted screams buried under layers of noise and reverb.
As a further link to Scotland's grim past, 'Janet Horne' refers to the last alleged witch burned alive in the country; the name also served as a generic moniker for witches. It is impossible to ignore the common theme The Woods offer up with this release: Scotland's rich history of bloodshed, mysticism and nature worship.
As the band remains anonymous, it is up to the listener to determine how much he wishes to read into the music and lyrics. As a stand-alone, The Woods' songs deliver ambient drone with austere shoegaze elements; a soundtrack made for a hill walk in solitude.
If you dig deeper, the ancient tree rune lyrics and music appear intrinsically linked and invite speculation about the band's objective.
