Todesbonden – Sleep Now, Quiet Forest
Prophecy – PRO 092 – 4 June 2008
By Ryan Starr
Sleep Now, Quiet Forest may be the hidden gem of the year.
Todesbonden get a lot all of negative press, because they are another female fronted melodic metal band, and it really isn’t justified. To associate
Todesbonden with the likes of
Lacuna Coil,
Leaves Eyes, and
Evanescence is an outrage and I would hope my readers can see through this bogus connection.
For starters,
Todesbonden are incredibly dark and gloomy, with a huge doom influence. I’m hesitant to label them as 100% doom though, because there is a lot more going on. The use of acoustic instruments takes them beyond your typical metal band. Sure, lots of metal bands have acoustic songs, but not like this. The technique is reminiscent of centuries old “classical” compositions. Actually, this technique is found throughout this debut, but is most evident in acoustic tracks like
'Flow My Tears'. There is yet another layer to the music though. A fanciful folky charm is hidden throughout, like mythical faeries veiled by dew laced leaves.
This mélange of styles gives rise to a brilliant fantasia, something that shouldn’t be ignored. This is without a doubt one of my top ten releases of the year. So if you’re tired of typical angry metal, I definitely recommend
Sleep Now, Quiet Forest.
Official Todesbonden Website
Official Todesbonden Myspace
Official Prophecy Website
