For all that In The Woods… have felt like a fixture of Norway’s progressive metal scene (barring that extended hiatus throughout the 2000s) they have never had a stable line-up, adding and dropping guitarists even throughout what was considered their golden period of the mid-90s. Now on album number seven, it is only now that they have settled on a solid configuration, the band that released the well-received Diversum back in 2022 returning with Otra, a record that benefits greatly from the band’s new-found coherence yet contains plenty of the genre-bending spirit of old. Though only drummer Anders Kobro remains from the band’s founding, this feels like the album that will bring those who had drifted away from the band back into the fold.
Built around the theme of the river Otra, a body of water that flows into the band’s homeland of Kristiansand in southern Norway, it’s a cohesive collection whose greatest strength is its songwriting. While each of these seven songs could be considered progressive in their own right, there is a simplicity to their structures that puts weight on emotion and melody over labyrinthine structures and overbearing noodling. There are plenty of deviations from their chosen path along the way, and the frequent shifts into black and death metal aggression will be a welcome inclusion for many, yet there’s no denying that the melodies which underpin each of these songs, be it the goth-meets-folk balladry of ‘The Kiss And The Lie’ or the swaggering doom of ‘Come Ye Sinners,’ rank among In The Woods’ finest.
Another asset is vocalist Bernt Fjellestad, who almost treats these songs as a showcase of his considerable skill. His range is naturally impressive, executing soaring highs with ease while working the lower end of the register with a practiced sense of theatre, and as he shifts into growls and shrieks, he retains a sense of fluidity of form even as the power behind it ramps up (as an aside, if his powerhouse cries on ‘A Misrepresentation Of I’ don’t inspire at least a moment of awe and reverence, you might be lacking a little bit of magic in your life). Kobro’s drumming is direct and expressive, making him an ideal foil for Fjellestad’s vocal acrobatics, and in Bernt Sørensen and Kåre André Sletteberg they have a guitarline that are equal parts grit, finesse and elegance.
Just like the river from which it takes its name, Otra progresses with a flow that is often gentle and occasionally turbulent, lashing the listener to and fro before settling into another soothing lull, yet the ever-present sense of direction means that nothing seems accidental. This collection simply works and possibly the only real downside to it is that it feels like it finishes a little too early, with ‘The Wandering Deity’ sort of fizzling out when the album deserves something a little more monumental to bring the curtains down. Still, there are far worse crimes than leaving a listener wanting more and if the rest of Otra is anything to go by, the band’s best may be yet to come.
