US avant-garde/pagan/folk/doom metal act Forever Autumn announce new EP »Crowned In Skulls«

US avant-garde/pagan/folk/doom metal act Forever Autumn has announced their new EP, »Crowned In Skulls«, which will be self-released on February 3rd, 2023. Featuring a guest appearance from Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride, the new release delves into acoustic and folk realms. It’s a pagan inspired exploration of nature through an alternative take on doom metal.

Tracklist:
01. The Forest And The Nyght
02. Death Folk
03. Incense And Deer Skulls
04. Dried Herbs In Water
05. Under Shadows Of Annwn

Courtesy of Deviate PR:

Haunting, avant-garde act Forever Autumn  are preparing to  unleash the new EP on the  3rd of February 2023. Following the 2021 EP  »Hail The Forest Dark«,  featuring a guest appearance from Aaron Stainthorpe of the legendary doom band  My Dying Bride, »Crowned In Skulls« delves further into acoustic and pagan realms and sees Aaron return as a guest vocalist on »The Forest And The Nyght«. There is a dark and unique talent to be found in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, where it is Forever Autumn.

Autumn Ni Dubhghaill comments: “»Crowned In Skulls« is a haunting return to the deep magicks of Forever Autumn.  It is a ritual unto itself, yet piece to a greater whole. I am honour’d to share this werke and hope it reaches those that need its medicine.”

Opening with ghostly balalaika and banshee screams, »The Forest And The Nyght« establishes the natural, earthy tones that bleed through the tracks on »Crowned In Skulls«. Aaron’s commanding clean vocals evoke a mysterious aura among the gloom that contrasts with Autumn’s harsh screams. Powerful percussion grounds the music emphasizing the pagan influence. With ferocious speed »Death Folk« unleashes a fury of intense acoustic instrumentation accompanied by anguished cries. Dissonance materializes out of the smoke from »Incense And Deer Skulls«. Discordant strings and percussion instruments imitate sounds from nature with an uncanny feel. Minimalist in style, each part is given space to achieve its full impact. As the music intensifies, the energy shifts in apprehension of the heightening sound before segueing into »Dried Herbs In Water«. The longest track on the EP, »Dried Herbs In Water« is enticing with droning cello notes, gentle vocals and spectral breaths. There’s a tranquil quality to the music as it gradually journeys into different realms. Building into rhythmic progressions alongside harrowing shrieks entwined with the cello, the atmosphere shifts once again. »Under Shadows Of Annwn« brings a dreamy offering of calming melodies and soft vocals adding a mellow tone. Drawing the release to an end, the enchanting music leaves a lasting impression.

About Forever Autumn:

Autumn Ni Dubhghaill, the founder and driving force behind  Forever Autumn, began composing for the project in 2000  which led to the band’s first, self-titled, demo in 2001, and several others followed during that decade. In the 2010s,  Forever Autumn  moved on with a series of wider album releases, beginning with 2014’s  »Patience Of ðm Fire-Keeper«, and followed that with a reborn version of their 2008 debut full-length under the title  »Waiting For Öktober MMXVI«, then 2019’s new  »Howls In The Forest At Dusk«  and more recently a 2021 EP,  »Hail The Forest Dark«  as well as contributing to various compilation and tribute releases.

Since 2008, the band has comprised cellist Jon McGrath and Autumn Ni Dubhghaill, with Jon as the stalwart complement to Autumn’s guitar, balalaika, bodhran, doom drum, rattle, cello, and wide breadth of vocal expression that ranges from melodic singing to screams, howls, and chants. Together, they create music that is, as long-standing website  Doom-Metal.com  put it,  ”elegant in its simplicity, fragile in its beauty”.

Credits:
Autumn Ni Dubhghaill – sing, scream, howl, chant, guitar, balalaika, bodhrán, cello on ‘Incense and Deer Skulls’, rattle, shaker, tambourine, doom drum
Jon Mcgrath – cello
Aaron Stainthorpe – additional vocals on »The Forest And The Nyght«

Written, recorded, produced and engineered by Autumn Ni Dubhghaill.
Cover artwork by Autumn Ni Dubhghaill.
Mixed by Robby Baier.
Mastered by Jack Control at Enormous Door Mastering.

Release details:
The EP will be available on streaming platforms, limited run: 100 CD and 200 Vinyl.

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well